Animal biometrics: quantifying and detecting phenotypic appearance

• Published in: Trends in ecology & evolution (Amsterdam) Vol. 28; no. 7; pp. 432 - 441
• Main Authors: Kühl, Hjalmar S., Burghardt, Tilo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; biogeography; Biological and medical sciences; biometry; Biometry - methods; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; data collection; Ecology; Ecology - methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; methods; Pattern Recognition, Automated; Pattern Recognition, Automated - methods; Phenotype; population ecology; Biometrics; Phenotype
• ISSN: 0169-5347; 1872-8383; 1872-8383
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.02.013

Animal biometrics is an emerging field that develops quantified approaches for representing and detecting the phenotypic appearance of species, individuals, behaviors, and morphological traits. It operates at the intersection between pattern recognition, ecology, and information sciences, producing computerized systems for phenotypic measurement and interpretation. Animal biometrics can benefit a wide range of disciplines, including biogeography, population ecology, and behavioral research. Currently, real-world applications are gaining momentum, augmenting the quantity and quality of ecological data collection and processing. However, to advance animal biometrics will require integration of methodologies among the scientific disciplines involved. Such efforts will be worthwhile because the great potential of this approach rests with the formal abstraction of phenomics, to create tractable interfaces between different organizational levels of life.