Abstract
Recently, it has become possible to record ‘live’ plankton in situ using new plankton-imaging technology, e.g. the Visual Plankton Recorder (VPR). For such technologies, automated plankton identification systems based on analysis of morphology, color, texture, and intensity patterns are also being developed. Some plankters are known to change their colors, which may have a severe effect on automated plankton identification systems. To investigate the effect of ambient light on their body color or their body color patterns, we conducted several preliminary experiments on the planktonic hyperiid amphipod Vibilia stebbingi by exposing it for 30 min under three types of light sources: fluorescent light bulb (white light), darkroom lamp (red light), and UV lamp (UV-A light). Color images of V. stebbingi were recorded at set intervals. In all cases, coloration darkened and body pigmentation patterns changed. These results suggest that for the development of automated plankton identification systems using color-images of plankton and incorporating image texture or coloration-based algorithms, more information on variations and changes in the coloration and pigmentation patterns of target zooplankton species may be needed.
