School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, FI-02430, Masala, Finland.
Commun Biol. 2022 Jul 14;5(1):703. doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-03652-x.
Allometric, metabolic, and biomechanical theories are the critical foundations for scientifically deciphering plant forms. Their concrete laws, however, are found to deviate for plenty of plant specimens. This phenomenon has not been extensively studied, due to technical restrictions. This bottleneck now can be overcome by the state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) mapping technologies, such as fine-scale terrestrial laser scanning. On these grounds, we proposed to reexamine the basic theories regarding plant forms, and then, we case validated the feasibility of upgrading them into 3D modes. As an in-time enlightening of 3D revolutionizing the related basic subject, our theoretical prospect further sorted out the potential challenges as the cutting points for advancing its future exploration, which may enable 3D reconstruction of the basic theories of plant forms and even boost life science.
生长律、代谢和生物力学理论是科学破译植物形态的关键基础。然而，大量的植物标本表明，这些具体规律存在偏离。由于技术限制，这一现象尚未得到广泛研究。这一瓶颈现在可以通过最先进的三维（3D）测绘技术来克服，例如精细地面激光扫描。基于这些原因，我们提出重新检验有关植物形态的基础理论，然后检验将它们升级到 3D 模式的可行性。作为 3D 革命对相关基础学科的及时启发，我们的理论展望进一步梳理了潜在挑战，作为推进其未来探索的切入点，这可能使植物形态基础理论的 3D 重建甚至促进生命科学的发展。
