Very-High-Resolution Time-Lapse Photography for Plant and Ecosystems Research

• Main Authors: Mary H. Nichols, Janet C. Steven, Randy Sargent, Paul Dille, Joshua Schapiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2013-09-01
• Series: Applications in Plant Sciences
• Subjects: digital photography; phenology; plant behavior; visualization
• Online Access: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.3732/apps.1300033

Premise of the study: Traditional photography is a compromise between image detail and area covered. We report a new method for creating time-lapse sequences of very-high-resolution photographs to produce zoomable images that facilitate observation across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Methods and Results: A robotic camera mount and software were used to capture images of the growth and movement in <i>Brassica rapa</i> every 15 s in the laboratory. The resultant time-lapse sequence (http://timemachine.gigapan.org/wiki/Plant_Growth) captures growth detail such as circumnutation. A modified, solar-powered system was deployed at a remote field site in southern Arizona. Images were collected every 2 h over a 3-mo period to capture the response of vegetation to monsoon season rainfall (http://timemachine.gigapan.org/wiki/Arizona_Grasslands). Conclusions: A technique for observing time sequences of both individual plant and ecosystem response at a range of spatial scales is available for use in the laboratory and in the field.