Flower Colours through the Lens: Quantitative Measurement with Visible and Ultraviolet Digital Photography

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The study of the signal-receiver relationship between flowering plants and pollinators requires a capacity to accurately map both the spectral and spatial components of a signal in relation to the perceptual abilities of potential pollinators. Spectrophotometers can typically recover high resolution spectral data, but the spatial component is difficult to record simultaneously. A technique allowing for an accurate measurement of the spatial component in addition to the spectral factor of the signal is highly desirable. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Consumer-level digital cameras potentially provide access to both colour and spatial information, but they are constrained by their..