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Identification of approximate symmetries in biological development

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gandhi, P; Ciocanel, MV; Niklas, K; Dawes, AT
Published in: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
January 1, 2021

Virtually all forms of life, from single-cell eukaryotes to complex, highly differentiated multicellular organisms, exhibit a property referred to as symmetry. However, precise measures of symmetry are often difficult to formulate and apply in a meaningful way to biological systems, where symmetries and asymmetries can be dynamic and transient, or be visually apparent but not reliably quantifiable using standard measures from mathematics and physics. Here, we present and illustrate a novel measure that draws on concepts from information theory to quantify the degree of symmetry, enabling the identification of approximate symmetries that may be present in a pattern or a biological image. We apply the measure to rotation, reflection and translation symmetries in patterns produced by a Turing model, as well as natural objects (algae, flowers and leaves). This method of symmetry quantification is unbiased and rigorous, and requires minimal manual processing compared to alternative measures. The proposed method is therefore a useful tool for comparison and identification of symmetries in biological systems, with potential future applications to symmetries that arise during development, as observed in vivo or as produced by mathematical models. This article is part of the theme issue 'Recent progress and open frontiers in Turing's theory of morphogenesis'.

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Published In

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences

DOI

ISSN

1364-503X

Publication Date

January 1, 2021

Volume

379

Issue

2213

Related Subject Headings

  • General Science & Technology
 

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Gandhi, P., Ciocanel, M. V., Niklas, K., & Dawes, A. T. (2021). Identification of approximate symmetries in biological development. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 379(2213). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2020.0273
Gandhi, P., M. V. Ciocanel, K. Niklas, and A. T. Dawes. “Identification of approximate symmetries in biological development.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 379, no. 2213 (January 1, 2021). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2020.0273.
Gandhi P, Ciocanel MV, Niklas K, Dawes AT. Identification of approximate symmetries in biological development. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 2021 Jan 1;379(2213).
Gandhi, P., et al. “Identification of approximate symmetries in biological development.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, vol. 379, no. 2213, Jan. 2021. Scopus, doi:10.1098/rsta.2020.0273.
Gandhi P, Ciocanel MV, Niklas K, Dawes AT. Identification of approximate symmetries in biological development. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 2021 Jan 1;379(2213).
Journal cover image

Published In

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences

DOI

ISSN

1364-503X

Publication Date

January 1, 2021

Volume

379

Issue

2213

Related Subject Headings

  • General Science & Technology