Saturday, May 19, 2007

New Remote Sening technique helps pinpoint species density

Researchers from Woods Hole Research Center, University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have used a new RS (remote sensing) technique to explore species density in habitats. Called lidar (light detection and ranging), the investigators used it to generate 3 D images of habitats.

By carefully analyzing the images and patterns generated, the team led by Dr Scott Goetze were able to make accurate predictions about how many members of a particular species of birds are present in the habitat explored.

For their study, the researchers used lidar remote sensing techniques to examine canopy height, topography and the vertical distribution of canopy elements. The team did the study at the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland, USA. They then compared their findings with standardized values of bird census data.

The investigators report, “ the canopy vertical distribution information was consistently found to be the strongest predictor of species richness, and this was predicted best when stratified into guilds dominated by forest, scrub, suburban and wetland species”.

Summing up their interesting findings, Dr Scott Goetz and his team write, “ The lidar metrics were also consistently better predictors than traditional remotely sensed variables such as canopy cover, indicating that lidar provides a valuable resource for biodiversity research applications”.


Source: Scott Goetz, Daniel Steinberg, Ralph Dubayah and Bryan Blair. Laser remote sensing of canopy habitat heterogeneity as a predictor of bird species richness in an eastern temperate forest, USA. Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 108, Issue 3, 15 June 2007, Pages 254-263.

image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lidar_P1270901.jpg

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