Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological research

Traditional methods for colour quantification are complicated by the fact that colours change depending on illumination, and that different observers often perceive colours differently. Here we describe a new affordable method, which improves methods relying on human observers, to quantify patterns...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Villafuerte, Rafael, Negro, Juan J.
Format: article
Publication Date:1998
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/34994
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/34994
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Alectoris rufa
colour
Digital camera
Digital imaging
dimorphism
Sexual selection
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spelling Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological researchVillafuerte, RafaelNegro, Juan J.Alectoris rufacolourDigital cameraDigital imagingdimorphismSexual selectionTraditional methods for colour quantification are complicated by the fact that colours change depending on illumination, and that different observers often perceive colours differently. Here we describe a new affordable method, which improves methods relying on human observers, to quantify patterns and colour variations. The procedure combines customized software with the use of digital cameras and commercial photofinishing software. The computer routines correct unavoidable illumination changes during image capturing, making all images comparable. Colours are quantified in a continuous scale of the conventional colour models developed for the human vision system, such as HSB, RGB, CMYK, or Lab, amenable for statistical analyses. We illustrate the use of this technique showing a previously unknown sexual dimorphism in the red-legged partridge, Alectoris rifa, undetectable with the unaided human eye. We also demonstrate that the digital system provides a finer discrimination than human observers for scoring the plumage of partridges belonging to two different subspecies. This method has potential applications in behavioural ecology, physiology, genetics, evolutionary biology, and taxonomy.Peer reviewedBlackwell Publishing201120111998info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501http://hdl.handle.net/10261/34994reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Ingléshttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1461-0248.1998.00034.x/pdfinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:digital.csic.es:10261/349942026-05-22T06:33:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological research
title Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological research
spellingShingle Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological research
Villafuerte, Rafael
Alectoris rufa
colour
Digital camera
Digital imaging
dimorphism
Sexual selection
title_short Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological research
title_full Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological research
title_fullStr Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological research
title_full_unstemmed Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological research
title_sort Digital imaging for colour measurement in ecological research
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Villafuerte, Rafael
Negro, Juan J.
author Villafuerte, Rafael
author_facet Villafuerte, Rafael
Negro, Juan J.
author_role author
author2 Negro, Juan J.
author2_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Alectoris rufa
colour
Digital camera
Digital imaging
dimorphism
Sexual selection
topic Alectoris rufa
colour
Digital camera
Digital imaging
dimorphism
Sexual selection
description Traditional methods for colour quantification are complicated by the fact that colours change depending on illumination, and that different observers often perceive colours differently. Here we describe a new affordable method, which improves methods relying on human observers, to quantify patterns and colour variations. The procedure combines customized software with the use of digital cameras and commercial photofinishing software. The computer routines correct unavoidable illumination changes during image capturing, making all images comparable. Colours are quantified in a continuous scale of the conventional colour models developed for the human vision system, such as HSB, RGB, CMYK, or Lab, amenable for statistical analyses. We illustrate the use of this technique showing a previously unknown sexual dimorphism in the red-legged partridge, Alectoris rifa, undetectable with the unaided human eye. We also demonstrate that the digital system provides a finer discrimination than human observers for scoring the plumage of partridges belonging to two different subspecies. This method has potential applications in behavioural ecology, physiology, genetics, evolutionary biology, and taxonomy.
publishDate 1998
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 1998
2011
2011
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/34994
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/34994
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1461-0248.1998.00034.x/pdf
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Blackwell Publishing
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Blackwell Publishing
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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