The Previously Invisible History Of Leaves

Seeing the Invisible History of Leaves

Inability to identify leaf fossils has stymied paleobotany for years. A new machine learning technique bestows super-visual senses, and is unlocking a trove of evolutionary data.

Lance Farrell | April 13, 2016

If you find a new dinosaur the next time you stick a shovel in the dirt, you’ll be famous. But pity the paleobotanists — they find new leaf fossils every time they dig.
Lack of fame is the least of their problems, though. A central obstacle botanists face is the inability to identify all those fossils. Leaves are naturally complex, with an astounding variety of vein and shape patterns. Comprehensive knoweldge and identification are virtually impossible.

"Turning over a new leaf. Computers can detect leaf variations imperceptible to most human eyes. Thanks to computer vision, scientists will soon be able to unlock a treasure trove of evolutionary data, placing fossilized leaves in their rightful place on the evolutionary tree of life." Source: https://sciencenode.org/feature/seeing-the-invisible-history-of-leaves.php?clicked=title

<more at https://sciencenode.org/feature/seeing-the-invisible-history-of-leaves.php?clicked=title; related articles and links: https://www.ccv.brown.edu/ (Center for Computation & Visualization) and http://www3.geosc.psu.edu/~pdw3/2008_Wilf_PS_Short_Course_Notes.pdf (Fossil Agniosperm Leaves: Paleobotany's Difficult Children Prove themselves. Peter Wilf. [Abstract: The great bulk of the angiosperm fossil record consists of isolated fossil leaves that preserve abundant shape and venation (leaf architectural) information but are diffi cult to identify because they are not attached to other plant organs. Thus, poor taxonomic knowledge has tempered the tremendous potential of fossil leaves for constructing fi nely resolved records of biodiversity through time, extinction and recovery, past climate change and biotic response, paleoecology, and plant-animal associations. Moreover, paleoecological and paleoclimatic interpretations of fossil leaves are in great need of new approaches. Recent work is rapidly increasing the scientifi c value of fossil angiosperm leaves through advances in traditional paleobotanical reconstruction, phylogenetic understanding of both leaf architecture and the response of leaf shape to climate, quantitative plant ecology using measurable, correlatable leaf traits, and improved understanding of insect leaf-feeding damage. These emerging areas offer many novel opportunities to link paleoecology and neoecology. Increased collaboration across traditionally separate research areas is critical to continued success.])>