arXiv:2603.11476cs.LGq-bio.QM2026-03被引 1

用AI自动分析硅藻化石,提速百倍并提升分类准确率。

Leveraging Phytolith Research using Artificial Intelligence

  • 融合2D图像与3D点云的多模态AI模型,自动识别硅藻形态。
  • 分类准确率达77.9%,分割质量达84.5%,复杂形态识别显著提升。
  • 适合考古与古生态研究者,实现大规模、可复现的植物溯源分析。

硅藻分析是重建古代植被与人类活动的重要工具,但传统方法依赖费时费力的手动显微镜观察。为突破这一瓶颈,我们提出Sorometry:一个端到端的人工智能流程,实现硅藻的高通量数字化、分析与解释。该流程处理共聚焦光学显微镜的层扫图像,自动生成单个微粒的同步2D正射影像与3D点云。我们构建了结合ConvNeXt(2D图像)与PointNet++(3D点云)的多模态融合模型,并配备图形化界面供专家标注与审校。在玻利维亚亚马逊的参考样本与考古样品上测试,融合模型在24种诊断形态类型上达到77.9%的全局分类准确率,分割质量达84.5%。关键发现是3D数据对区分复杂形态(如草类短细胞硅藻)至关重要,其诊断特征常被2D投影遮蔽。除个体分类外,Sorometry还引入贝叶斯有限混合模型,实现群体层面的植物来源推断,成功在复杂混合样本中识别出玉米与棕榈等特定植物。该平台将硅藻研究推向“组学”规模,大幅扩展分析能力,统一专家判断,实现可复现的考古与古生态群体表征。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Phytolith analysis is a crucial tool for reconstructing past vegetation and human activities, but traditional methods are severely limited by labour-intensive, time-consuming manual microscopy. To address this bottleneck, we present Sorometry: a comprehensive end-to-end artificial intelligence pipeline for the high-throughput digitisation, inference, and interpretation of phytoliths. Our workflow processes z-stacked optical microscope scans to automatically generate synchronised 2D orthoimages and 3D point clouds of individual microscopic particles. We developed a multimodal fusion model that combines ConvNeXt for 2D image analysis and PointNet++ for 3D point cloud analysis, supported by a graphical user interface for expert annotation and review. Tested on reference collections and archaeological samples from the Bolivian Amazon, our fusion model achieved a global classification accuracy of 77.9\% across 24 diagnostic morphotypes and 84.5% for segmentation quality. Crucially, the integration of 3D data proved essential for distinguishing complex morphotypes (such as grass silica short cell phytoliths) whose diagnostic features are often obscured by their orientation in 2D projections. Beyond individual object classification, Sorometry incorporates Bayesian finite mixture modelling to predict overall plant source contributions at the assemblage level, successfully identifying specific plants like maize and palms in complex mixed samples. This integrated platform transforms phytolith research into an "omics"-scale discipline, dramatically expanding analytical capacity, standardising expert judgements, and enabling reproducible, population-level characterisations of archaeological and paleoecological assemblages.

AI考古硅藻分析多模态模型古生态

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