title: Using a multiscale image processing method to characterize the periodic growth patterns on scallop shells.
abstract: The fine periodic growth patterns on shell surfaces have been widely used for studies in the ecology and evolution of scallops. Modern X-ray CT scanners and digital cameras can provide high-resolution image data that contain abundant information such as the shell formation rate, ontogenetic age, and life span of shellfish organisms. We introduced a novel multiscale image processing method based on matched filters with Gaussian kernels and partial differential equation (PDE) multiscale hierarchical decomposition to segment the small tubular and periodic structures in scallop shell images. The periodic patterns of structures (consisting of bifurcation points, crossover points of the rings and ribs, and the connected lines) could be found by our Space-based Depth-First Search (SDFS) algorithm. We created a MATLAB package to implement our method of periodic pattern extraction and pattern matching on the CT and digital scallop images available in this study. The results confirmed the hypothesis that the shell cyclic structure patterns encompass genetically specific information that can be used as an effective invariable biomarker for biological individual recognition. The package is available with a quick-start guide and includes three examples: http://mgb.ouc.edu.cn/novegene/html/code.php.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ministry of Education) College of Marine Life Sciences Ocean University of China Qingdao Shandong China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematical Sciences Ocean University of China Qingdao Shandong China.
authors.forename: Tengda
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science University of Dundee Dundee UK.
authors.forename: Zhihui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ministry of Education) College of Marine Life Sciences Ocean University of China Qingdao Shandong China.
authors.forename: Yangfan
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7000-4213
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Information and Engineering Ocean University of China Qingdao Shandong China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ministry of Education) College of Marine Life Sciences Ocean University of China Qingdao Shandong China; Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology Qingdao China.
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ministry of Education) College of Marine Life Sciences Ocean University of China Qingdao Shandong China; Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology Qingdao China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ministry of Education)College of Marine Life Sciences Ocean University of China Qingdao Shandong China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology Qingdao China.
authors.forename: Zhenmin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bao
keywords: MATLAB package; growth patterns; individual recognition; multiscale image processing; scallop shell; space‐based depth‐first search algorithm