Manuel Peinado

Phytosociological, bioclimatic and biogeographical classification of woody climax communities of western North America

. In this study, combining the Braun-Blanquet phytosociological approach with numerical methods (cluster analysis and principal coordinate ordination), woody climax associations of western North America are described, ranging from NW Baja California (Mexico) to Alaska (USA), and including some interior zones of Idaho and Montana (USA), Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory (Canada). 95 floristic associations are identified, and each is characterized by floristic combination, biogeographical range, and bioclimatic conditions.

Full-body performance animation with Sequential Inverse Kinematics

In this paper, we present an analytic-iterative Inverse Kinematics (IK) method, called Sequential IK (SIK), that reconstructs 3D human full-body movements in real time. The input data for the reconstruction is the least possible (i.e., the positions of wrists, ankles, head and pelvis) in order to be usable within a low-cost human motion capture system that would track only these six features. The performance of our approach is compared to other well-known IK methods in reconstruction quality and computation time obtaining satisfactory results for both. The paper first describes how we handle the spine and the clavicles before offering a simple joint limit model for ball-and-socket joints and a method to avoid self-collisions induced by the elbow. The second part focuses on the algorithms comparison study.

A phytosociological survey of the boreal forest (Vaccinio-Piceetea) in North America

A survey of syntaxa of vegetation of North American boreal forests (class Vaccinio-Piceetea) is presented. This phytosociological survey, carried out combining the Braun-Blanquet method with numerical syntaxonomical analyses (cluster and correspondence analysis), describes the associations of the North American boreal forests, which have several species, varieties or vicariant species in common with their Eurasian counterparts, and can be placed in the class Vaccinio-Piceetea. By means of tabular and multivariate analyses, 2084 North American relevés were compared with 3273 relevés from European, Japanese and Korean boreal forest, to describe and typify 4 orders, 10 alliances and 37 associations. Diagnostic tables, ordination, clustering, and climatic, edaphic and biogeographical data were used to show floristic affinities among these syntaxa and interpret their distribution areas. Syntaxa were briefly characterized by their floristic composition, physiognomy, succession, zonation, and biogeographical distribution.

Vegetation formations and associations of the zonobiomes along the North American Pacific coast

This phytosociological study, carried out according to the Braun-Blanquet method and supported by cluster analysis, describes Walters zonobiomes along the North American Pacific coast between British Columbia (Canada) and Baja California Sur (Mexico). Fourteen floristic associations have been identified and each is characterized by a unique floristic combination, a distinctive geographical range and particular bioclimatic conditions.

A phytosociological and phytogeographical survey of the coastal vegetation of western North America. Part I: plant communities of Baja California, Mexico

Through tabular and average linkage cluster analyses, 737 phytosociological relevés were classified. Based on these relevés, we described and typified the associations, alliances, orders, and classes grouping the coastal plant communities of the Baja California peninsula. Diagnostic tables, classification by average linkage clustering, and climatic, edaphic, and biogeographical data were used to establish floristic affinities among these syntaxa and to interpret their distributions. Syntaxa were characterized by their floristic composition, physiognomy, and biogeographical distribution, along with their positions in halophilous and psammophilous gradients. Thirty-three associations were identified, of which 22 are here described for the first time. Our syntaxonomical proposal includes descriptions of nine new alliances, seven new orders and four new classes: Allenrolfeetea occidentalis, Atriplici julaceae–Frankenietea palmeri, Euphorbio leucophyllae–Sporoboletea virginici and Achyronichio cooperi–Abronietea villosae.

Evaluation of on-line analytic and numeric inverse kinematics approaches driven by partial vision input

Despite its central role in the constitution of a truly enactive interface, 3D interaction through human full body movement has been hindered by a number of technological and algorithmic factors. Let us mention the cumbersome magnetic equipments, or the underdetermined data set provided by less invasive video-based approaches. In the present paper, we explore the recovery of the full body posture of a standing subject in front of a stereo camera system. The 3D position of the hands, the head and the center of the trunk segment are extracted in real-time and provided to the body posture recovery algorithmic layer. We focus on the comparison between numeric and analytic inverse kinematics approaches in terms of performances and overall quality of the reconstructed body posture. Algorithmic issues arise from the very partial and noisy input and the singularity of the human standing posture. Despite stability concerns, results confirm the pertinence of this approach in this demanding context.

VEGETATION FORMATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS OF THE ZONOBIOMES ALONG THE NORTH AMERICAN PACIFIC COAST : FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TO ALASKA

This phytosociological study, carried out according to the Braun–Blanquet method and supported by cluster analysis, describes Walters zonobiomes along the North American Pacific coast between the California–Oregon state border and Alaska (USA), including some interior zones of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory (Canada). Twenty two floristic associations are identified and each is characterized by a unique floristic combination, a distinctive geographical range and particular bioclimatic or edaphic conditions.

Zonobiomes, zonoecotones and azonal vegetation along the Pacific coast of North America

In this study of the Pacific coast of North America, from Baja California to Alaska, we evaluated the hypothesis that the floristic composition of azonal vegetation determines areas and distribution limits similar to those of the corresponding zonobiomes (ZB), and does so in response to the same macroclimatic changes occurring on the continental scale. To this end, 686 vascular plants of the different habitats found in 279 sites along this coastal strip were recorded. Using an objective classification system (Average Linkage Clustering) and factorial analysis, floristic data acquired in fieldwork were classified into groups, which were in turn related to regional macroclimates. Our main finding was that the azonal coastal vegetation follows a distribution model that is closely linked to the corresponding macroclimate. The four ZB of the northern Pacific coast show a flora and azonal vegetation characteristic to each zonobiome; the latitudinal limits of the azonal vegetation practically coinciding with those already established for the zonal vegetation. The Boreal and Temperate ZB show high percentages of broadly distributed elements. The floristically richest zonobiome in terms of endemic taxa is the Mediterranean zonobiome, whereas the flora of Baja California is characterized by a high number of taxa related to Neotropical flora, especially to those showing links with South America. Data on the geographical distribution and habitats of the 247 most significant coastal species are also provided.

Major plant communities of North America's most arid region: The San Felipe Desert, Baja California, México

Abstract This vegetation study describes the landscape of the San Felipe Desert (Baja California, México) based on the phytosociological analysis of its major plant associations, as determined by the Braun-Blanquet method and supported by cluster analysis. Four geomorphological or phytotopographical units were identified in the landscape of the San Felipe Desert (salt marshes, playas or sandy flats, bajadas or alluvial fans, and malpaíses or badlands), each characterized by its own plant communities. Two communities and eleven associations were identified, four of which are described and typified for the first time: Atriplici linearis-Frankenietum palmeri, Parkinsonio microphyllae-Olneyetum tesotae, Errazurizio megacarpae-Ephedretum trifurcae and Pachycereo schottii-Prosopidetum torreyanae. Ecological, phytogeographical, bioclimatic, syntaxonomical and floristic data are provided for each of these new associations.

Bioclimates and vegetation along the Pacific basin of Northwestern Mexico

We describe relationships between the bioclimates and vegetation of the northwest of Mexico, including the Baja California peninsula and the stretch of the Pacific basin between the states of Sonora and Colima, a transition zone from the most arid deserts of North America to tropical rainforests. Links were inferred from temperature and rainfall data obtained from 453 weather stations that were used to construct climatograms, calculate several climate indices and describe main latitudinal and longitudinal trends, and from sampling the vegetation around these stations. Across this extensive area, spanning some 14° of both latitude and longitude as well as three zonobiomes and two zonoecotones, two macrobioclimates were identified, Mediterranean and Tropical, within which we were able to distinguish six bioclimates. For each of these bioclimates, we find different types of zonal and azonal vegetation, whose floristic composition and physiognomy are described here.