Relationship between Floristic and Phenologic Similarity in Temperate Forests: Implications for the Synoptic Assessment and Monitoring of Biodiversity
Abstract
As human activities continue to increase pressure on biodiversity, it is imperative to understand its status and responses to human disturbances. Although biodiversity varies greatly across space, most studies were conducted at limited spatial extents. While these studies have provided useful information at local scales, they are not suitable when a regional view is required, particularly when one is interested in evaluating large- scale effects of human activities and establishing sustainable management practices at regional levels. The synoptic view provided by imaging sensors constitutes a useful way of analyzing biodiversity at large scales. In this study we assessed the structure and tree species composition of temperate forests in the Qinling mountain region of Shaanxi province (China) at plot scales and analyzed their phenologic characteristics across the entire region using multi-temporal remotely sensed data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Results show that areas floristically similar (i.e., composed of the same tree species associations) also exhibit comparable phenologic characteristics, implying a direct relationship between floristic and phenologic similarity. Therefore, the phenologic characteristics, as evaluated through remote sensing techniques, can be scaled-up to map and monitor the spatial distribution of particular tree species associations across broad geographic regions.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUFM.B41A0359V
- Keywords:
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- 0410 Biodiversity;
- 0439 Ecosystems;
- structure and dynamics (4815);
- 0480 Remote sensing