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TOWARD A QUANTIFICATION OF SELF-SIMILARITY IN PLANTS

PASCAL FERRARO

LaBRI — University of Bordeaux 1, 351 Cours de la Libération, 33405 Talence Cedex, France

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CHRISTOPHE GODIN

INRIA, UMR AMAP, TA40/PSII, Boulevard de la Lironde, 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France

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PRZEMYSLAW PRUSINKIEWICZ

Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S0218348X05002805Cited by:25 (Source: Crossref)

Abstract

Self-similarity of plants has attracted the attention of biologists for at least 50 years, yet its formal treatment is rare, and no measure for quantifying the degree of self-similarity currently exists. We propose a formal definition and measures of self-similarity, tailored to branching plant structures. To evaluate self-similarity, we make use of an algorithm for computing topological distances between branching systems, developed in computer science. The formalism is illustrated using theoretical branching systems, and applied to analyze self-similarity in two sample plant structures: inflorescences of Syringa vulgaris (lilac) and shoots of Oryza sativa (rice).

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