Hyperspectral data as a biodiversity screening tool can differentiate among diverse Neotropical fishes.

ABSTRACT: Hyperspectral data encode information from electromagnetic radiation (i.e., color) of any object in the form of a spectral signature; these data can then be used to distinguish among materials or even map whole landscapes. Although hyperspectral data have been mostly used to study landscape ecology, floral diversity and many other applications in the natural sciences, we propose that spectral signatures can be used for rapid assessment of faunal biodiversity, akin to DNA barcoding and metabarcoding. We demonstrate that spectral signatures of individual, live fish specimens can accurately capture species and clade-level differences in fish coloration, specifically among piranhas and pacus (Family Serrasalmidae), fishes with a long history of taxonomic confusion. We analyzed 47 serrasalmid s

SUBMITTER: Kolmann MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8352966 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature