scholarly journals DELINEATING ECO-SENSITIVE ZONES USING GEOSPATIAL METHODS – A TEST CASE OF JHILMIL JHEEL CONSERVATION RESERVE

2018 ◽  
Vol IV-5 ◽  
pp. 459-466
Author(s):  
V. Prakash ◽  
S. Saran ◽  
G. Talukdar
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Focal Species ◽  
Maxent Model ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Swamp Deer

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Most of the protected areas (PAs) in India have a hard boundary; very rarely having a transition zone to minimise the negative human wildlife interface. With increasing anthropogenic pressures, areas surrounding PAs are becoming integral for conservation. Government of India introduced a concept of Eco-sensitive Zones (ESZ) around PAs to minimise anthropogenic pressures and regulate rapid development in these areas. However, delineation of ESZs is a complex process and may take a long time. In this paper, a novel geospatial approach has been presented to delineate ESZ using a species centric approach. A case study using Swamp deer (<i>Rucervus duvaucelli duvaucelli</i>) as focal species was explored for its potential to delineate ESZ around protected area Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve (JJCR) located in Uttarakhand India. Maximum entropy or Maxent model was used to identify habitat suitability. Normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), altitude, land cover and distance to roads were used as co-variates. Seasonal variations for habitat suitability were also considered. In this study habitat suitability map of swamp deer was further rationalised based on habitat fragmentation and management limitations and proposed as ESZ of JJCR. This approach for delineation of ESZ can be very useful for PAs in India which have focal species and are yet to declare their ESZ.</p>

scholarly journals Environmental factors influencing guanaco distribution and abundance in central Patagonia, Argentina

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julieta Pedrana ◽  
Alejandro Travaini ◽  
Juan Ignacio Zanón ◽  
Sonia Cristina Zapata ◽  
Alejandro Rodríguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Population Trends ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Habitat Suitability Model ◽  
Argentine Patagonia ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Survey Effort

Context The guanaco is the largest wild herbivore inhabiting the Patagonian steppes. Since the end of the 19th Century, it has suffered a progressive decline in numbers owing to poaching and unregulated hunting because of on an assumed competition with sheep. Unfortunately, there has never been a management program for guanaco populations in Argentine Patagonia. Consequently, the guanaco is still considered a pest species by ranchers and has never been considered profitable in the range management model implemented in Patagonia. Aims The present article updates the distribution limits of guanaco and estimate its abundance across Chubut, a large province of Patagonia, Argentina. The relative effects of several environmental and anthropogenic factors on guanaco distribution are also assessed. Methods Road surveys (7010km) and species distribution modelling were used to build a habitat suitability model and a distribution map. A distance sampling method was used to estimate guanaco population densities and size. The survey effort required to monitor population trends in this region was also calculated. Key results According to the best habitat suitability model, guanaco distribution decreased with altitude and primary productivity, as measured by Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and increased with the distance to the nearest urban centre and oil field. Guanaco distribution showed a clear geographical pattern in Chubut, with low to medium occurrence probability towards the west and higher values towards the east. Guanaco population size was estimated as 657304 individuals (95% CI 457437 to 944059), with a mean density of 2.97 guanacos km–2. Finally, through simulations of guanaco monitoring, it was estimated that an annual survey effort of 10 to thirty 30-km road transects is needed to detect with confidence a significant population decrease or increase over the next 6 or 10 years. Conclusions The habitat suitability map presented herein highlights areas with high guanaco densities in Chubut, where it would be possible to identify ranches suitable for performing profitable herding and shearing experiences. Implications The maps of guanaco distribution and density, as well as the survey effort required to monitor population trends, may be used to inform decisions concerning the sustainable use of this species.

scholarly journals Dissecting the Genetics of Early Vigour to Design Drought-Adapted Wheat

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stjepan Vukasovic ◽  
Samir Alahmad ◽  
Jack Christopher ◽  
Rod J. Snowdon ◽  
Andreas Stahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Infrared Light ◽  
Stay Green ◽  
Genetic Determination ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Early Vigour

Due to the climate change and an increased frequency of drought, it is of enormous importance to identify and to develop traits that result in adaptation and in improvement of crop yield stability in drought-prone regions with low rainfall. Early vigour, defined as the rapid development of leaf area in early developmental stages, is reported to contribute to stronger plant vitality, which, in turn, can enhance resilience to erratic drought periods. Furthermore, early vigour improves weed competitiveness and nutrient uptake. Here, two sets of a multi-reference nested association mapping (MR-NAM) population of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. aestivum L.) were used to investigate early vigour in a rain-fed field environment for 3 years, and additionally assessed under controlled conditions in a greenhouse experiment. The normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) calculated from red/infrared light reflectance was used to quantify early vigour in the field, revealing a correlation (p &lt; 0.05; r = 0.39) between the spectral measurement and the length of the second leaf. Under controlled environmental conditions, the measured projected leaf area, using a green-pixel counter, was also correlated to the leaf area of the second leaf (p &lt; 0.05; r = 0.38), as well as to the recorded biomass (p &lt; 0.01; r = 0.71). Subsequently, genetic determination of early vigour was tested by conducting a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for the proxy traits, revealing 42 markers associated with vegetation index and two markers associated with projected leaf area. There are several quantitative trait loci that are collocated with loci for plant developmental traits including plant height on chromosome 2D (log10 (P) = 3.19; PVE = 0.035), coleoptile length on chromosome 1B (–log10 (P) = 3.24; PVE = 0.112), as well as stay-green and vernalisation on chromosome 5A (–log10 (P) = 3.14; PVE = 0.115).

scholarly journals Status of Phenological Research Using Sentinel-2 Data: A Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2760
Author(s):  
Gourav Misra ◽  
Fiona Cawkwell ◽  
Astrid Wingler
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Short Wave ◽  
Current State ◽  
Red Edge ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Satellite Sensors ◽  
Sentinel 2

Remote sensing of plant phenology as an indicator of climate change and for mapping land cover has received significant scientific interest in the past two decades. The advancing of spring events, the lengthening of the growing season, the shifting of tree lines, the decreasing sensitivity to warming and the uniformity of spring across elevations are a few of the important indicators of trends in phenology. The Sentinel-2 satellite sensors launched in June 2015 (A) and March 2017 (B), with their high temporal frequency and spatial resolution for improved land mapping missions, have contributed significantly to knowledge on vegetation over the last three years. However, despite the additional red-edge and short wave infra-red (SWIR) bands available on the Sentinel-2 multispectral instruments, with improved vegetation species detection capabilities, there has been very little research on their efficacy to track vegetation cover and its phenology. For example, out of approximately every four papers that analyse normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) or enhanced vegetation index (EVI) derived from Sentinel-2 imagery, only one mentions either SWIR or the red-edge bands. Despite the short duration that the Sentinel-2 platforms have been operational, they have proved their potential in a wide range of phenological studies of crops, forests, natural grasslands, and other vegetated areas, and in particular through fusion of the data with those from other sensors, e.g., Sentinel-1, Landsat and MODIS. This review paper discusses the current state of vegetation phenology studies based on the first five years of Sentinel-2, their advantages, limitations, and the scope for future developments.

scholarly journals Virtual Archaeology of Death and Burial: A Procedure for Integrating 3D Visualization and Analysis in Archaeothanatology

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 540-555
Author(s):  
Hayley L. Mickleburgh ◽  
Liv Nilsson Stutz ◽  
Harry Fokkens
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Information ◽  
3D Visualization ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
3D Models ◽  
The Body ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Archaeology Of Death ◽  
Human Burials ◽  
3D Information

Abstract The reconstruction of past mortuary rituals and practices increasingly incorporates analysis of the taphonomic history of the grave and buried body, using the framework provided by archaeothanatology. Archaeothanatological analysis relies on interpretation of the three-dimensional (3D) relationship of bones within the grave and traditionally depends on elaborate written descriptions and two-dimensional (2D) images of the remains during excavation to capture this spatial information. With the rapid development of inexpensive 3D tools, digital replicas (3D models) are now commonly available to preserve 3D information on human burials during excavation. A procedure developed using a test case to enhance archaeothanatological analysis and improve post-excavation analysis of human burials is described. Beyond preservation of static spatial information, 3D visualization techniques can be used in archaeothanatology to reconstruct the spatial displacement of bones over time, from deposition of the body to excavation of the skeletonized remains. The purpose of the procedure is to produce 3D simulations to visualize and test archaeothanatological hypotheses, thereby augmenting traditional archaeothanatological analysis. We illustrate our approach with the reconstruction of mortuary practices and burial taphonomy of a Bell Beaker burial from the site of Oostwoud-Tuithoorn, West-Frisia, the Netherlands. This case study was selected as the test case because of its relatively complete context information. The test case shows the potential for application of the procedure to older 2D field documentation, even when the amount and detail of documentation is less than ideal.

Assessment of changes in the state of the rangelands of Inner Mongolia, China between 1998 and 2007 using remotely sensed data

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. M. Hu ◽  
S. G. Li ◽  
J. W. Dong ◽  
J. W. Fan
Keyword(s):  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
The State ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Aboveground Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index

The spatial annual patterns of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and precipitation-use efficiency (PUE) of the rangelands of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, a region in which several projects for ecosystem restoration had been implemented, are described for the years 1998–2007. Remotely sensed normalised difference vegetation index and ANPP data, measured in situ, were integrated to allow the prediction of ANPP and PUE in each 1 km2 of the 12 prefectures of Inner Mongolia. Furthermore, the temporal dynamics of PUE and ANPP residuals, as indicators of ecosystem deterioration and recovery, were investigated for the region and each prefecture. In general, both ANPP and PUE were positively correlated with mean annual precipitation, i.e. ANPP and PUE were higher in wet regions than in arid regions. Both PUE and ANPP residuals indicated that the state of the rangelands of the region were generally improving during the period of 2000–05, but declined by 2007 to that found in 1999. Among the four main grassland-dominated prefectures, the recovery in the state of the grasslands in the Erdos and Chifeng prefectures was highest, and Xilin Gol and Chifeng prefectures was 2 years earlier than Erdos and Hunlu Buir prefectures. The study demonstrated that the use of PUE or ANPP residuals has some limitations and it is proposed that both indices should be used together with relatively long-term datasets in order to maximise the reliability of the assessments.

scholarly journals Development of COVID-19 vaccines utilizing gene therapy technology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hironori Nakagami
Keyword(s):  
Viral Vectors ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Genetic Disorders ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Adenovirus Vector ◽  
Phase 3 ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Long Time

Abstract There is currently an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2. Individuals with COVID-19 have symptoms that are usually asymptomatic or mild in most initial cases. However, in some cases, moderate and severe symptoms have been observed with pneumonia. Many companies are developing COVID-19 vaccine candidates using different technologies that are classified into four groups (intact target viruses, proteins, viral vectors and nucleic acids). For rapid development, RNA vaccines and adenovirus vector vaccines have been urgently approved, and their injection has already started across the world. These types of vaccine technologies have been developed over more than 20 years using translational research for use against cancer or diseases caused by genetic disorders but the COVID-19 vaccines are the first licensed drugs to prevent infectious diseases using RNA vaccine technology. Although these vaccines are highly effective in preventing COVID-19 for a short period, safety and efficiency evaluations should be continuously monitored over a long time period. As the time of writing, more than 10 projects are now in phase 3 to evaluate the prevention of infection in double-blind studies. Hopefully, several projects may be approved to ensure high-efficiency and safe vaccines.

Assessing the impact of seasonal precipitation and temperature on vegetation in a grass-dominated rangeland

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Chen ◽  
Keith T. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Vegetation Growth ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

Changes in vegetation are affected by many climatic factors and have been successfully monitored through satellite remote sensing over the past 20 years. In this study, the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra satellite, was selected as an indicator of change in vegetation. Monthly MODIS composite NDVI at a 1-km resolution was acquired throughout the 2004–09 growing seasons (i.e. April–September). Data describing daily precipitation and temperature, primary factors affecting vegetation growth in the semiarid rangelands of Idaho, were derived from the Surface Observation Gridding System and local weather station datasets. Inter-annual and seasonal fluctuations of precipitation and temperature were analysed and temporal relationships between monthly NDVI, precipitation and temperature were examined. Results indicated NDVI values observed in June and July were strongly correlated with accumulated precipitation (R2 >0.75), while NDVI values observed early in the growing season (May) as well as late in the growing season (August and September) were only moderately related with accumulated precipitation (R2 ≥0.45). The role of ambient temperature was also apparent, especially early in the growing season. Specifically, early growing-season temperatures appeared to significantly affect plant phenology and, consequently, correlations between NDVI and accumulated precipitation. It is concluded that precipitation during the growing season is a better predictor of NDVI than temperature but is interrelated with influences of temperature in parts of the growing season.

Temporal and spatial heterogeneity of drought impact on vegetation growth on the Inner Mongolian Plateau

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao Bailing ◽  
Li Zhiyong ◽  
Liang Cunzhu ◽  
Wang Lixin ◽  
Jia Chengzhen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Desert Steppe ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Mongolian Plateau ◽  
Typical Steppe ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index

Drought frequency and intensity have increased in recent decades, with consequences for the structure and function of ecosystems of the Inner Mongolian Plateau. In this study, the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) was chosen to assess the extent and severity of drought between 1982 and 2011. The normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to analyse the responses of five different vegetation types (forest, meadow steppe, typical steppe, desert steppe and desert) to drought. Our results show that during the last 30 years, the frequency and intensity of droughts have increased significantly, especially in summer and autumn. The greatest decline in NDVI in response to drought was observed in typical steppe and desert steppe vegetation types. Compared with other seasons, maximum decline in NDVI was observed in summer. In addition, we found that NDVI in the five vegetation types showed a lag time of 1–2 months from drought in the spring and summer. Ancillary soil moisture conditions influenced the drought response, with desert steppe showing a stronger lag effect to spring and summer drought than the other vegetation types. Our results show that drought explains a high proportion of changes in NDVI, and suggest that recent climate change has been an important factor affecting vegetation productivity in the area.

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