Predicting and mapping Plethodontid salamander abundance using LiDAR-derived terrain and vegetation characteristics

Aim of the study: Use LiDAR-derived vegetation and terrain characteristics to develop abundance and occupancy predictions for two terrestrial salamander species, Plethodon glutinosus and P. kentucki, and map abundance to identify vegetation and terrain characteristics affecting their distribution.Area of study: The 1,550-ha Clemons Fork watershed, part of the University of Kentucky’s Robinson Forest in southeastern Kentucky, USA.Materials and methods: We quantified the abundance of salamanders using 45 field transects, which were visited three times, placed across varying soil moisture and canopy cover conditions. We created several LiDAR-derived vegetation and terrain layers and used these layers as covariates in zero-inflated Poisson models to predict salamander abundance. Model output was used to map abundance for each species across the study area.Main results: From the184 salamanders observed, 63 and 99 were identifdied as P. glutinosus and P. kentucki, respectively. LiDAR-derived vegetation height variation and flow accumulation were best predictors of P. glutinosus abundance while canopy cover predicted better the abundance of P. kentucki. Plethodon glutinosus was predicted to be more abundant in sites under dense, closed-canopy cover near streams (2.9 individuals per m2) while P. kentucki was predicted to be found across the study sites except in areas with no vegetation (0.58 individuals per m2).Research highlight: Although models estimates are within the range of values reported by other studies, we envision their application to map abundance across the landscape to help understand vegetation and terrain characteristics influencing salamander distribution and aid future sampling and management efforts.Keywords: Zero-inflated Poisson model; Kentucky; Cumberland plateau; Plethodon glutinosus; Plethodon kentucki.

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Diversity of Medicinal Plants among Different Tree Canopies

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13052640 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 2640

Author(s):

Muhammad Zubair ◽

Akash Jamil ◽

Syed Bilal Hussain ◽

Ahsan Ul Haq ◽

Ahmad Hussain ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Coniferous Forest ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Local Communities ◽

Tree Canopy ◽

Tree Cover ◽

Open Spaces ◽

Floral Diversity ◽

Tree Canopy Cover ◽

Closed Canopy

The moist temperate forests in Northern Pakistan are home to a variety of flora and fauna that are pivotal in sustaining the livelihoods of the local communities. In these forests, distribution and richness of vegetation, especially that of medicinal plants, is rarely reported. In this study, we carried out a vegetation survey in District Balakot, located in Northeastern Pakistan, to characterize the diversity of medicinal plants under different canopies of coniferous forest. The experimental site was divided into three major categories (viz., closed canopy, open spaces, and partial tree cover). A sampling plot of 100 m2 was established on each site to measure species diversity, dominance, and evenness. To observe richness and abundance, the rarefaction and rank abundance curves were plotted. Results revealed that a total of 45 species representing 34 families were available in the study site. Medicinal plants were the most abundant (45%) followed by edible plants (26%). Tree canopy cover affected the overall growth of medicinal plants on the basis of abundance and richness. The site with partial canopy exhibited the highest diversity, dominance, and abundance compared to open spaces and closed canopy. These findings are instrumental in identifying the wealth of the medicinal floral diversity in the northeastern temperate forest of Balakot and the opportunity to sustain the livelihoods of local communities with the help of public/private partnership.

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Soil-vegetation relationships in Mediterranean forests after fire

Forest Ecosystems ◽

10.1186/s40663-021-00295-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Víctor Fernández-García ◽

Elena Marcos ◽

Sara Huerta ◽

Leonor Calvo

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

Mediterranean Ecosystems ◽

Fire Effects ◽

Mediterranean Forests ◽

Vegetation Growth ◽

Burned Areas ◽

Vegetation Height ◽

P Content ◽

Study Sites ◽

Soil Status

Abstract Background Wildfires are one of the major environmental concerns in Mediterranean ecosystems. Thus, many studies have addressed wildfire impacts on soil and vegetation in Mediterranean forests, but the linkages between these ecosystem compartments after fire are not well understood. The aim of this work is to analyze soil-vegetation relationships in Mediterranean burned forests as well as the consistency of these relationships among forests with different environmental conditions, at different times after fire, and among vegetation with different functional traits. Results Our results indicate that study site conditions play an important role in mediating soil-vegetation relationships. Likewise, we found that the nature of soil-vegetation relationships may vary over time as fire effects are less dominant in both ecosystem compartments. Despite this, we detected several common soil-vegetation relationships among study sites and times after fire. For instance, our results revealed that available P content and stoichiometry (C:P and N:P) were closely linked to vegetation growth, and particularly to the growth of trees. We found that enzymatic activities and microbial biomass were inversely related to vegetation growth rates, whereas the specific activities of soil enzymes were higher in the areas with more vegetation height and cover. Likewise, our results suggest that resprouters may influence soil properties more than seeders, the growth of seeders being more dependent on soil status. Conclusions We provide pioneer insights into how vegetation is influenced by soil, and vice-versa, in Mediterranean burned areas. Our results reflect variability in soil-vegetation relationships among study sites and time after fire, but consistent patterns between soil properties and vegetation were also detected. Our research is highly relevant to advance in forest science and could be useful to achieve efficient post-fire management.

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Potential Applications of GNSS-R Observations over Agricultural Areas: Results from the GLORI Airborne Campaign

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs10081245 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1245 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Mehrez Zribi ◽

Erwan Motte ◽

Nicolas Baghdadi ◽

Frédéric Baup ◽

Sylvia Dayau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Satellite System ◽

Area Index ◽

Vegetation Height ◽

Study Sites ◽

Global Navigation Satellite ◽

Vegetation Characteristic ◽

Agricultural Areas

The aim of this study is to analyze the sensitivity of airborne Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) on soil surface and vegetation cover characteristics in agricultural areas. Airborne polarimetric GNSS-R data were acquired in the context of the GLORI’2015 campaign over two study sites in Southwest France in June and July of 2015. Ground measurements of soil surface parameters (moisture content) and vegetation characteristics (leaf area index (LAI), and vegetation height) were recorded for different types of crops (corn, sunflower, wheat, soybean, vegetable) simultaneously with the airborne GNSS-R measurements. Three GNSS-R observables (apparent reflectivity, the reflected signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), and the polarimetric ratio (PR)) were found to be well correlated with soil moisture and a major vegetation characteristic (LAI). A tau-omega model was used to explain the dependence of the GNSS-R reflectivity on both the soil moisture and vegetation parameters.

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Accuracy Assessment of GEDI Terrain Elevation and Canopy Height Estimates in European Temperate Forests: Influence of Environmental and Acquisition Parameters

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12233948 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (23) ◽

pp. 3948

Author(s):

Markus Adam ◽

Mikhail Urbazaev ◽

Clémence Dubois ◽

Christiane Schmullius

Keyword(s):

Laser Scanning ◽

Temperate Forests ◽

Accuracy Assessment ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Global Scale ◽

Canopy Height ◽

Ecosystem Dynamics ◽

Vegetation Height ◽

Height Estimates ◽

Terrain Elevation

Lidar remote sensing has proven to be a powerful tool for estimating ground elevation, canopy height, and additional vegetation parameters, which in turn are valuable information for the investigation of ecosystems. Spaceborne lidar systems, like the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), can deliver these height estimates on a near global scale. This paper analyzes the accuracy of the first version of GEDI ground elevation and canopy height estimates in two study areas with temperate forests in the Free State of Thuringia, central Germany. Digital terrain and canopy height models derived from airborne laser scanning data are used as reference heights. The influence of various environmental and acquisition parameters (e.g., canopy cover, terrain slope, beam type) on GEDI height metrics is assessed. The results show a consistently high accuracy of GEDI ground elevation estimates under most conditions, except for areas with steep slopes. GEDI canopy height estimates are less accurate and show a bigger influence of some of the included parameters, specifically slope, vegetation height, and beam sensitivity. A number of relatively high outliers (around 9–13% of the measurements) is present in both ground elevation and canopy height estimates, reducing the estimation precision. Still, it can be concluded that GEDI height metrics show promising results and have potential to be used as a basis for further investigations.

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Do bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) mounds influence terrestrial macroinvertebrate assemblages in agricultural riparian zones?

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo09060 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 57 (5) ◽

pp. 329 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Philip Borchard ◽

Ian A. Wright ◽

Clare McArthur

Keyword(s):

Canopy Cover ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽

Riparian Ecosystems ◽

Macroinvertebrate Assemblages ◽

Ecological Variability ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Surrounding Landscape ◽

Study Sites

Riparian ecosystems contain a complex mosaic of habitat structure types that can support distinct macroinvertebrate communities. Bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) are often an integral component of agricultural riparian systems in south-eastern Australia. In these systems, wombats construct large burrow systems and mounds in the stream banks. Wombat mound structures vary markedly from the surrounding landscape and they may influence macroinvertebrate assemblages. We examined this ecosystem-engineering role of wombats as well as the ecological variability within our agricultural riparian study sites on the possible influence on macroinvertebrate assemblages. There were no detectable effects of wombat mounds on the richness or abundance of macroinvertebrates on the soil surface. At the site level, however, macroinvertebrate assemblages were most influenced by litter depth, upper canopy cover, cattle hoof prints and slope. The ecological variables within the study sites strongly affected macroinvertebrate assemblages. These findings reflect an influence of anthropogenic impact on communities of ground-dwelling invertebrates that have been found in other studies. It is possible that a finer resolution of taxa may highlight a unique pattern of macroinvertebrate use of wombat mounds.

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Regional Scale Dryland Vegetation Classification with an Integrated Lidar-Hyperspectral Approach

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11182141 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (18) ◽

pp. 2141 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hamid Dashti ◽

Andrew Poley ◽

Nancy F. Glenn ◽

Nayani Ilangakoon ◽

Lucas Spaete ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Regional Scale ◽

Imaging Spectroscopy ◽

Canopy Structure ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Vegetation Classification ◽

Large Contribution ◽

Spectral Angle Mapper ◽

Vegetation Height ◽

Sparse Canopy ◽

Spectral Mixture

The sparse canopy cover and large contribution of bright background soil, along with the heterogeneous vegetation types in close proximity, are common challenges for mapping dryland vegetation with remote sensing. Consequently, the results of a single classification algorithm or one type of sensor to characterize dryland vegetation typically show low accuracy and lack robustness. In our study, we improved classification accuracy in a semi-arid ecosystem based on the use of vegetation optical (hyperspectral) and structural (lidar) information combined with the environmental characteristics of the landscape. To accomplish this goal, we used both spectral angle mapper (SAM) and multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis (MESMA) for optical vegetation classification. Lidar-derived maximum vegetation height and delineated riparian zones were then used to modify the optical classification. Incorporating the lidar information into the classification scheme increased the overall accuracy from 60% to 89%. Canopy structure can have a strong influence on spectral variability and the lidar provided complementary information for SAM’s sensitivity to shape but not magnitude of the spectra. Similar approaches to map large regions of drylands with low uncertainty may be readily implemented with unmixing algorithms applied to upcoming space-based imaging spectroscopy and lidar. This study advances our understanding of the nuances associated with mapping xeric and mesic regions, and highlights the importance of incorporating complementary algorithms and sensors to accurately characterize the heterogeneity of dryland ecosystems.

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Fine-scale habitat use by the southern emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus)

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr05040 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 137 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Grainne S. Maguire

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Plant Species ◽

Habitat Structure ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Ground Level ◽

Fine Scale ◽

Vegetation Height ◽

Vertical Density ◽

Foliage Density ◽

Floristic Characteristics

Fine-scale variation in habitat structure and composition is likely to influence habitat use by avian species with limited flight capabilities. I investigated proportional use of available habitat and microhabitat by the southern emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus), a threatened, flight-limited passerine, at three sites in Victoria, in relation to vegetation structure and composition. Emu-wrens appeared to discriminate between habitats with regard to structural rather than floristic characteristics. Habitats with dense vertical foliage of shrubs, grasses and sedges/rushes between ground level and 100 cm, and dense horizontal cover of medium to tall shrubs, were used most frequently. However, when availability of habitat was taken into account, habitat use was negatively correlated with the vertical density of low shrub foliage and species richness. Within habitats, emu-wrens more frequently used plant species that had a dense canopy cover (26 ± 2% of total cover, crown diameter 93 ± 5 cm), high foliage density between 50 and 100 cm, and average heights of ~1 m. Plant species in which the birds nested comprised ~14% of total canopy cover and were densest between ground level and 50 cm. Canopy cover, vegetation height and vertical foliage density were consistently important variables correlated with emu-wren habitat use at multiple fine-scales. This study provides valuable information for conservation management of the species; in particular, the restoration of degraded habitats.

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The upland hardwood component of Prince Edward Island's remnant Acadian forest: determination of depth of edge and patterns of exotic plant invasion

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b03-103 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 81 (11) ◽

pp. 1113-1128 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Kate MacQuarrie ◽

Christian Lacroix

Keyword(s):

Exotic Species ◽

Plant Community ◽

Plant Invasion ◽

Vascular Plants ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Percent Cover ◽

Exotic Plant ◽

Exotic Plant Invasion ◽

Acadian Forest ◽

Study Sites

The upland hardwood component of Prince Edward Island's Acadian forest is among the best remaining examples of the precolonial landscape, but it has been severely fragmented during the past 300 years of human use and settlement. Despite the ecological importance of this remnant habitat and its level of fragmentation, there has been no assessment of depth of edge or exotic plant invasion in these areas. Three 300 m long edgeinterior transects were established in each of six study sites. Nine 100-m2 circular plots were sampled along each transect at distances from 5.7 to 300 m; one external plot was established at each transect to sample species in adjacent habitats. In each plot, all vascular plants were identified, a visual estimate of percent cover was made, and soil temperature, canopy cover, and tree diameters were measured. An edgeinterior plant community gradient was found within these forests; a plant community characteristic of interior conditions was not reached until a distance of more than 120 m from an edge. This suggests that upland hardwood protected areas smaller than 240 m on a side (5.75 ha) are unlikely to include interior habitat, and sites should be greater than 320 m on all sides (10.24 ha) to ensure at least some interior habitat for vascular plants. Invasion by exotic species was found to be more extensive than that reported from other jurisdictions, and innermost (300 m) plots were not free from exotics. Fifteen exotic species were found within the study sites, with Veronica officinalis (common speedwell) and Hieracium lachenalii (hawkweed) being the most invasive, both in terms of distance penetrated and area covered.Key words: Acadian forest, fragmentation, depth of edge, protected area, Veronica, Hieracium.

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Natural history of the critically endangered salamander Pseudoeurycea robertsi

10.7287/peerj.preprints.27911v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Armando Sunny ◽

Carmen Caballero-Viñas ◽

Luis Duarte-deJesus ◽

Fabiola Ramírez-Corona ◽

Javier Manjarrez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endangered Species ◽

Natural History ◽

Ecological Niche Modeling ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Morphometric Study ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Plethodontid Salamander ◽

Nevado De Toluca ◽

Salamander Species

Mexico is one of the most diverse countries that is losing a large amount of forest due to land use change, these data put Mexico in fourth place for global deforestation rate, therefore, Mexico occupies the first place in number of endangered species in the world with 665 endangered species. It is important to study amphibians because they are among the most threatened vertebrates on Earth and their populations are rapidly declining worldwide due primarily to the loss and degradation of their natural habitats. Pseudoeurycea robertsi is a micro-endemic and critically endangered Plethodontid salamander from the Nevado de Toluca Volcano and to date almost nothing is known about its natural history therefore, we survey fourteen sites of the Nevado de Toluca Volcano a mountain that is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Mexico. We carry out the most exhaustive sampling scheme of this species throughout the Nevado de Toluca Volcano to know the number of individuals and the microhabitat features associated with the presence of P. robertsi. Likewise, we carry out a morphometric study and coloration measurements of P. robertsi individuals and we determine the potential distribution of P. robertsi and the other 3 species of pletodontids present in the NTV using ecological niche modeling and to determine the most important habitat features associated with the presence of salamander species, as well as to know the niche overlap among salamander species. This information will help raise conservation strategies for this micro-endemic and critically endangered salamander.

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Area-Wide Prediction of Vertebrate and Invertebrate Hole Density and Depth across a Climate Gradient in Chile Based on UAV and Machine Learning

Drones ◽

10.3390/drones5030086 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 86

Author(s):

Paulina Grigusova ◽

Annegret Larsen ◽

Sebastian Achilles ◽

Alexander Klug ◽

Robin Fischer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Vegetation Type ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Machine Learning Techniques ◽

Spatial Density ◽

Hole Density ◽

Climate Gradient ◽

Vegetation Height ◽

Study Sites ◽

Spatially Explicit Data

Burrowing animals are important ecosystem engineers affecting soil properties, as their burrowing activity leads to the redistribution of nutrients and soil carbon sequestration. The magnitude of these effects depends on the spatial density and depth of such burrows, but a method to derive this type of spatially explicit data is still lacking. In this study, we test the potential of using consumer-oriented UAV RGB imagery to determine the density and depth of holes created by burrowing animals at four study sites along a climate gradient in Chile, by combining UAV data with empirical field plot observations and machine learning techniques. To enhance the limited spectral information in RGB imagery, we derived spatial layers representing vegetation type and height and used landscape textures and diversity to predict hole parameters. Across-site models for hole density generally performed better than those for depth, where the best-performing model was for the invertebrate hole density (R2 = 0.62). The best models at individual study sites were obtained for hole density in the arid climate zone (R2 = 0.75 and 0.68 for invertebrates and vertebrates, respectively). Hole depth models only showed good to fair performance. Regarding predictor importance, the models heavily relied on vegetation height, texture metrics, and diversity indices.

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