Demography

Engineering

Ecology

MATLAB

Scripting language

Biology

Taxon

Computer science

Botany

Diatom

Software

Shape analysis (program analysis)

Pattern recognition (psychology)

Mathematics

Fourier analysis

Software tool

Population

Sociology

Mathematical analysis

Operations management

Artificial intelligence

Programming language

Metric (unit)

Static analysis

Fourier transform

Applications in Plant Sciences

Premise of the Study Studies of plant cell and organ outline using shape analysis for taxonomic and morphological research have increased in the past decade. However, there are a limited number of available modern, intuitive, and easy software tools to conduct this work. Methods We developed a tool for shape outline extraction using MATLAB accompanied with R scripts to perform elliptic Fourier analysis. To demonstrate the shape tool, we applied the software and scripts for genera and species shape determinations of diatom (single cell) species with x‐, y‐, and x‐ + y‐shape symmetries. Results Using the shape analysis tool, we were able to identify and distinguish different diatom taxa based on forms representing size diminutions associated with population changes. Discussion Independent of symmetry, species were successfully distinguished using supervised and unsupervised analyses. We hope that these shape analysis tools will be used to add another metric to plant science studies.

Shape outline extraction software (DiaOutline) for elliptic Fourier analysis application in morphometric studies