Remotely sensed data can help to identify both suitable habitat for individual species, and environmental conditions that foster species richness, which is important when predicting how biodiversity ...will respond to global change. The question is how to summarize remotely sensed data so that they are most relevant for biodiversity analyses, and the Dynamic Habitat Indices are three metrics designed for this. Our goals here were to a) derive, for the first time, the Dynamic Habitat Indices (DHIs) globally, and b) use these to evaluate three hypotheses (available energy, environmental stress, and environmental stability) that attempt to explain global variation in species richness of amphibians, birds, and mammals. The three DHIs summarize three key measures of vegetative productivity: a) annual cumulative productivity, which we used to evaluate the available energy hypothesis that more energy is associate with higher species richness; b) minimum productivity throughout the year, which we used to evaluate the environmental stress hypothesis that higher minima cause higher species richness, and c) seasonality, expressed as the annual coefficient of variation in productivity, which we used to evaluate the environmental stability hypothesis that less intra-annual variability causes higher species richness. We calculated the DHIs globally at 1-km resolution from MODIS vegetation products (NDVI, EVI, LAI, fPAR, and GPP), based on the median of the good observations of all years from the entire MODIS record for each of the 23 or 46 possible dates (8- vs. 16-day composites) during the year, and calculated species richness for three taxa (amphibians, birds, and mammals) at 110-km resolution from species range maps from the IUCN Red List. We found marked global patterns of the DHIs, and strong support for all three hypotheses. The three DHIs for a given vegetation product were well correlated (Spearman rank correlations ranging from −0.6 (cumulative vs. variation DHIs) to −0.93 (variation vs. minimum DHI)). Similarly, DHI components derived from different MODIS vegetation products were well correlated (0.8–0.9), and correlations of the DHIs with temperature and precipitation were moderate and strong respectively. All three DHIs were well correlated with species richness, showing in ranked order positive correlations for cumulative DHI based on GPP (Spearman rank correlations of 0.75, 0.63, and 0.67 for amphibians, resident birds, and mammals respectively) and minimum DHI (0.73, 0.83, and 0.62), and negative for variation DHI (−0.69, −0.83, and −0.59). Multiple linear models of all three DHIs explained 67%, 65%, and 61% of the variability in species richness of amphibians, resident birds, and mammals, respectively. The DHIs, which are closely related to well-established ecological hypotheses of biodiversity, can predict species richness well, and are promising for application in biodiversity science and conservation.
•The Dynamic Habitat Indices (DHIs) capture three aspects of annual productivity.•We derived DHIs from all MODIS vegetation products globally at 1-km resolution.•Cumulative, minimum, and variation DHIs all correlate well with species richness.•Relationships between species richness and the DHIs support ecological theory.•Amphibians and birds are best explained by DHIs, mammals least.
Digital surface models (DSMs) are widely used in forest science to model the forest canopy. Stereo pairs of very high resolution satellite and digital aerial images are relatively new and their ...absolute accuracy for DSM generation is largely unknown. For an assessment of these input data two DSMs based on a WorldView-2 stereo pair and a ADS80 DSM were generated with photogrammetric instruments. Rational polynomial coefficients (RPCs) are defining the orientation of the WorldView-2 satellite images, which can be enhanced with ground control points (GCPs). Thus two WorldView-2 DSMs were distinguished: a WorldView-2 RPCs-only DSM and a WorldView-2 GCP-enhanced RPCs DSM. The accuracy of the three DSMs was estimated with GPS measurements, manual stereo-measurements, and airborne laser scanning data (ALS). With GCP-enhanced RPCs the WorldView-2 image orientation could be optimised to a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.56 m in planimetry and 0.32 m in height. This improvement in orientation allowed for a vertical median error of -0.24 m for the WorldView-2 GCP-enhanced RPCs DSM in flat terrain. Overall, the DSM based on ADS80 images showed the highest accuracy of the three models with a median error of 0.08 m over bare ground. As the accuracy of a DSM varies with land cover three classes were distinguished: herb and grass, forests, and artificial areas. The study suggested the ADS80 DSM to best model actual surface height in all three land cover classes, with median errors <1.1 m. The WorldView-2 GCP-enhanced RPCs model achieved good accuracy, too, with median errors of -0.43 m for the herb and grass vegetation and -0.26 m for artificial areas. Forested areas emerged as the most difficult land cover type for height modelling; still, with median errors of -1.85 m for the WorldView-2 GCP-enhanced RPCs model and -1.12 m for the ADS80 model, the input data sets evaluated here are quite promising for forest canopy modelling.
Little is known about the gap pattern of primeval beech forests, since large-scale studies with continuous coverage are lacking. Analyses of forest structural patterns have benefitted from advances ...in remote sensing, especially with the launch of satellites providing data of submetric ground resolution. These developments can strongly advance our knowledge of natural forest dynamics and disturbance regimes. The Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh forest in the Ukrainian Carpathians, the largest remnant of primeval European beech (
Fagus sylvatica
L.) covering 102.8 km
2
, is an outstanding object to analyze the frequency distribution of gap sizes and to infer processes of forest dynamics. A stereo pair of very high-resolution WorldView-2 satellite images was used to characterize the forest's gap pattern. Canopy gaps were first digitized stereoscopically based on the image pair. In a second step, spectral properties in the red and yellow frequency bands were used to distinguish the stereoscopically mapped gap areas from non-gap areas, which enabled gap mapping over the entire study area. To validate the spectral gap mapping 338 randomly distributed samples were assigned manually to gap and non-gap areas based on the ortho-images. We found excellent agreement except for an overestimation of gaps close to clouds due to diffuse image areas. The frequency distribution of gap size revealed the forest to be structured by a small-scale mosaic of gaps mainly <200 m
2
(98% of the gaps). Only a few large, stand-replacing events were detected, most probably caused by a wind storm in March 2007 and a heavy wet snow fall in October 2009. The small canopy gaps reflect fine-scale processes shaping forest structure, i.e., the death of single trees or groups of a few trees and is in line with the findings of the terrestrial forest inventory. We conclude that remote sensing approaches based on very high-resolution satellite images are highly useful to characterize even small-scale forest disturbance regimes and to study long-term gap dynamics. Stereo satellite images provide two viewing angles of the study area, thus allowing for a highly accurate mapping of canopy gaps in forests with a complex topography.
•Abundance of advance regeneration of four broadleaved species in a primary beech forest.•Replacement of canopy trees by F. sylvatica occurs irrespective of canopy neighbourhood.•Proximity to dead ...lying trees and gaps is crucial for Acer spp. and U. glabra recruitment.•Acer spp. poles can replace F. sylvatica hosts but mainly those growing in gaps.•The number of F. sylvatica poles is the same as Acer spp. even in the largest gap (>2000 m2).
Tree replacement patterns strongly shape species coexistence and dominance in forest ecosystems. In mixed forests subject to a small-scale disturbance regime, dead canopy trees are often replaced by advance regeneration. We studied the abundance of saplings (6–10 cm dbh) and poles (10–25 cm dbh) under canopy trees based on four inventories on a 10-ha permanent plot in a large primary forest dominated by Fagus sylvatica in Ukraine. Saplings and poles of Fagus sylvatica, Acer platanoides, A. pseudoplatanus and Ulmus glabra were spatially linked to canopy trees (‘hosts’, dbh > 25 cm) based on their crown radius, and the hosts’ neighborhood was classified according to the presence of dead trees. The number of saplings and poles under hosts was modelled with a Bayesian approach. There was a higher number of advance regeneration under hosts with increasing host diameter. The abundance of advance regeneration was the lowest under hosts in the canopy (i.e., under shaded conditions) and highest for hosts growing in gaps. 1) Under the canopy, only F. sylvatica poles can replace heterospecific hosts > 80 cm dbh, while other pole species are clearly below the replacement threshold. 2) Near dead lying trees, Acer pseudoplatanus rarely achieved an abundance of one pole at a host dbh > 80 cm. 3) In gaps, Acer spp. poles were able to replace F. sylvatica hosts. The proximity to dead lying trees and gaps is crucial for Acer spp. and U. glabra saplings for recruitment to the pole stage. The higher rate of recruitment under hosts adjacent to dead lying trees suggests that the total length of gap edges may be as important as gap size or disturbance frequency. In gaps > 550 m2, advance regeneration without hosts (growing in gaps) of Acer spp. can recruit higher number of saplings than F. sylvatica, but not poles. We conclude that almost all canopy trees of Acer spp. and U. glabra are likely to be replaced by Fagus sylvatica if the current small-scale disturbance regime and single-tree mortality continue to prevail.
•We investigated long-term drivers of species population dynamics in the natural forest reserve network of Switzerland.•We modeled ingrowth and tree mortality for seven abundant species based on ...forest structure and climate.•Tree density declined while species richness increased over the 60-year measurement period.•Competition and climate variables were the main drivers of population dynamics.
Changes in tree species composition can have strong effects on ecosystem functioning and the services provided by forests. Empirical observations can provide an improved understanding of the drivers of species population dynamics, yet long-term datasets are scarce in natural forests. This study used inventory data of the Swiss forest reserve network to assess tree population dynamics over the past 60 years. Tree status, species and dbh were repeatedly measured between 1956 and 2018 in 211 permanent plots of 34 forest reserves that covered a wide environmental gradient. Differences in species richness and tree density were compared between the first and last inventory. Furthermore, we used generalized linear mixed effect models to estimate the processes of ingrowth and tree mortality of seven abundant species (Abies alba, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Fraxinus excelsior, Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris and Quercus spp.) separately as a function of stand structural attributes and climate. We found a general decline in the density of the dominant species, with a low recruitment of light-demanding species and an increase in species richness, particularly in the colline vegetation zone. Both species-specific ingrowth and tree mortality were influenced by stand density and climate variables. Tree mortality increased with live tree density and increasing temperature. Ingrowth increased with tree density and decreased with higher temperature. Therefore, forest structural properties and climate have a strong influence on species population dynamics, and both are essential for predicting ingrowth and tree mortality in forest ecosystems.
Low mortality rates and slow growth differentiate shade-tolerant from shade-intolerant species and define the survival strategy of juvenile trees growing in deep shade. While radial stem growth has ...been widely used to explain mortality in juvenile trees, the leaf area ratio (LAR), known to be a key component of shade tolerance, has been neglected so far. We assessed the effects of LAR, radial stem growth and tree height on survival time and the age-specific mortality rate of juvenile
Fagus sylvatica
L. (European beech),
Acer pseudoplatanus
L. (sycamore maple) and
Acer platanoides
L. (Norway maple) in a primeval beech forest (Ukraine). Aboveground and belowground biomass and radial stem growth were analysed for 289 living and 179 dead seedlings and saplings. Compared with the other species,
F. sylvatica
featured higher LAR, slower growth and a lower mortality rate. The average survival time of
F. sylvatica
juveniles (72 years) allows it to reach the canopy more often than its competitors in forests with low canopy turnover rate. In contrast, a combination of lower LAR, higher growth rate and higher age-specific mortality rate of the two Acer species resulted in their shorter survival times and thus render their presence in the canopy a rare event. Overall, this study suggests that shade tolerance, commonly defined as a relationship between sapling mortality and growth, can alternatively be formulated as a relationship between survival time and the interplay of growth and LAR.
Animals select habitat at multiple spatial scales, suggesting that biodiversity modeling, for example of species richness, should be based on environmental data gathered at multiple spatial scales, ...and especially multiple grain sizes. Different satellite sensors collect data at different spatial resolutions and therefore provide opportunities for multi-grain habitat measures. The dynamic habitat indices (DHIs), which are derived from satellite data, capture patterns of vegetative productivity and predict bird species richness well. However, the DHIs have only been analyzed at single resolutions (e.g., 1-km), and have not yet been derived from high-resolution satellite data (< 10 -m). Our goal was to predict bird species richness based on measures of vegetation productivity (DHIs, NDVI median and NDVI percentile 90th) across a range of spatial resolutions both from different sensors, and from resampled high-resolution imagery. We analyzed bird species richness within 215 forest, grassland and shrubland plots (56.25 ha) located at 26 terrestrial field sites of the National Ecology Observatory Network (NEON), in the continental US. To obtain our multi-resolution measures of vegetation productivity, we acquired data from Planetscope (3-m), RapidEye (5-m), Sentinel-2 (10-m), Landsat-8 (30-m) and MODIS (250-m) from 2017 to 2020, generated time series of NDVI, calculated the three DHIs (cumulative, minimum and variation), NDVI median and the 90th percentile NDVI and calculated 1st and 2nd order texture measures. We evaluated the performance of the derived measures to predict bird species richness of habitat specialist guilds based on (i) univariate models (ii) multivariate models with single-resolution measures and (iii) multivariate models with multi-resolution measures. Single-spatial resolution measures predicted bird species richness moderately well (R2 up to 0.51) and the best performing spatial resolution and measure differed among bird species guilds. High-spatial resolution (3–5 m) measures outperformed medium-resolution measures (10–250 m). Models for all guilds performed best when incorporating multiple resolutions, including for all species richness (R2 = 0.63) and for forest (R2 = 0.72), grassland (R2 = 0.53) and shrubland specialists (R2 = 0.46). In addition, models based on multi-resolution data from different sensors performed better than models based on resampled high-resolution data for any of the guilds. Our results highlight, first, the value of the DHIs derived from high-resolution satellite data to predict bird species richness and, second, that remotely-sensed vegetation productivity measures from multiple spatial resolutions offer great promise for quantifying biodiversity.
•Single-spatial resolution measures predicted bird richness moderately well.•Best-performing spatial resolution and measure differed among bird species guilds.•High-resolution measures performed better than medium-resolution measures.•Multi-grain habitat models performed best for all bird species guilds.•Models based on original data performed better than resampled data models.
A lei de Hooke estabelece uma relação direta entre a força aplicada e a deformação produzida num objeto, sendo a constante elástica o fator de proporcionalidade. Em disciplinas introdutórias de ...Física, a lei de Hooke é geralmente apresentada no contexto de molas reais. Este trabalho propõe uma abordagem didática complementar do tema “elasticidade dos materiais”, utilizando-se de um modelo microscópico em que as ligações interatômicas comportam-se como molas e, assim, a constante elástica de uma estrutura pode ser prevista por uma fórmula fechada extremamente simples no caso de sistemas periódicos. Em particular, estruturas de nitreto de boro hexagonal monocamada foram modeladas a partir de uma combinação série-paralelo de molas idênticas. Para garantir maior simplicidade teórica, o modelo foi concebido dentro da aproximação linear da elasticidade. Um estudo realizado mostrou que o valor máximo de deformação axial para este regime é de 1,8%. O modelo foi testado através de simulações computacionais atomísticas e mostrou-se capaz de prever acuradamente a constante elástica das estruturas. Por fim, a abordagem proposta revelou-se didaticamente simples e interessante para ser explorada em cursos introdutórios de Física ou Engenharia, sobretudo pela confirmação da validade das regras usuais de combinação de molas no domínio microscópico.
Hooke’s law establishes a direct relationship between the applied force and deformation triggered on an object, with the elastic constant being the proportionality factor. Introductory Physics courses usually address Hooke’s law in the context of real springs. This paper proposes a complementary didactic approach to the topic “elasticity of materials”, considering a microscopic model in wich the interatomic bonding behave like springs. Thus, the elastic constant of these structures can be predicted by an extremely simple closed formula in the case of periodic systems. Particularly, monolayer hexagonal boron nitride structures were modeled from a series-parallel combination of identical springs. The model was developed within the linear approach of elasticity to ensure theoretical simplicity. A study was conducted to establish an optimal value corresponding to this regime, and 1.8% was determined as the maximum strain. The model was tested via atomistic computational simulations, being able to accurately predict the values of the elastic constants of the structures. Finally, the proposed approach proved to be didactically simple and interesting in introductory Physics or Engineering courses, mainly for the confirmation of the validity of the usual rules of spring combination in the microscopic domain.
Issue
Geodiversity (i.e., the variation in Earth's abiotic processes and features) has strong effects on biodiversity patterns. However, major gaps remain in our understanding of how relationships ...between biodiversity and geodiversity vary over space and time. Biodiversity data are globally sparse and concentrated in particular regions. In contrast, many forms of geodiversity can be measured continuously across the globe with satellite remote sensing. Satellite remote sensing directly measures environmental variables with grain sizes as small as tens of metres and can therefore elucidate biodiversity–geodiversity relationships across scales.
Evidence
We show how one important geodiversity variable, elevation, relates to alpha, beta and gamma taxonomic diversity of trees across spatial scales. We use elevation from NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and c. 16,000 Forest Inventory and Analysis plots to quantify spatial scaling relationships between biodiversity and geodiversity with generalized linear models (for alpha and gamma diversity) and beta regression (for beta diversity) across five spatial grains ranging from 5 to 100 km. We illustrate different relationships depending on the form of diversity; beta and gamma diversity show the strongest relationship with variation in elevation.
Conclusion
With the onset of climate change, it is more important than ever to examine geodiversity for its potential to foster biodiversity. Widely available satellite remotely sensed geodiversity data offer an important and expanding suite of measurements for understanding and predicting changes in different forms of biodiversity across scales. Interdisciplinary research teams spanning biodiversity, geoscience and remote sensing are well poised to advance understanding of biodiversity–geodiversity relationships across scales and guide the conservation of nature.
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