Exploring the relation between remotely sensed vertical canopy structure and tree species diversity in Gabon
Mapping tree species diversity is increasingly important in the face of environmental change and biodiversity conservation. We explore a potential way of mapping this diversity by relating forest structure to tree species diversity in Gabon. First, we test the relation between canopy height, as a pr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2dcd |
| _version_ | 1797747913861890048 |
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| author | Suzanne Mariëlle Marselis Hao Tang John Armston Katharine Abernethy Alfonso Alonso Nicolas Barbier Pulchérie Bissiengou Kathryn Jeffery David Kenfack Nicolas Labrière Seung-Kuk Lee Simon L Lewis Hervé Memiaghe John R Poulsen Lee White Ralph Dubayah |
| author_facet | Suzanne Mariëlle Marselis Hao Tang John Armston Katharine Abernethy Alfonso Alonso Nicolas Barbier Pulchérie Bissiengou Kathryn Jeffery David Kenfack Nicolas Labrière Seung-Kuk Lee Simon L Lewis Hervé Memiaghe John R Poulsen Lee White Ralph Dubayah |
| author_sort | Suzanne Mariëlle Marselis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mapping tree species diversity is increasingly important in the face of environmental change and biodiversity conservation. We explore a potential way of mapping this diversity by relating forest structure to tree species diversity in Gabon. First, we test the relation between canopy height, as a proxy for niche volume, and tree species diversity. Then, we test the relation between vertical canopy structure, as a proxy for vertical niche occupation, and tree species diversity. We use large footprint full-waveform airborne lidar data collected across four study sites in Gabon (Lopé, Mabounié, Mondah, and Rabi) in combination with in situ estimates of species richness (S) and Shannon diversity (H′). Linear models using canopy height explained 44% and 43% of the variation in S and H′ at the 0.25 ha resolution. Linear models using canopy height and the plant area volume density profile explained 71% of this variation. We demonstrate applications of these models by mapping S and H′ in Mondah using a simulated GEDI-TanDEM-X fusion height product, across the four sites using wall-to-wall airborne lidar data products, and across and between the study sites using ICESat lidar waveforms. The modeling results are encouraging in the context of developing pan-tropical structure-diversity models applicable to data from current and upcoming spaceborne remote sensing missions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:57:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2fddd40629d240bbbc054d1afd4d2fbe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:57:27Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-2fddd40629d240bbbc054d1afd4d2fbe2023-08-09T14:46:51ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262019-01-0114909401310.1088/1748-9326/ab2dcdExploring the relation between remotely sensed vertical canopy structure and tree species diversity in GabonSuzanne Mariëlle Marselis0Hao Tang1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7935-5848John Armston2Katharine Abernethy3Alfonso Alonso4Nicolas Barbier5Pulchérie Bissiengou6Kathryn Jeffery7David Kenfack8Nicolas Labrière9Seung-Kuk Lee10Simon L Lewis11Hervé Memiaghe12John R Poulsen13Lee White14Ralph Dubayah15Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland , College Park, MD, United States of AmericaDepartment of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland , College Park, MD, United States of AmericaDepartment of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland , College Park, MD, United States of AmericaDivision of Biological and Environmental Sciences Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Stirling , FK9 4LA, United Kingdom; Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale (IRET) , CENAREST, Libreville, GabonCenter for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute , Washington, DC, United States of AmericaAMAP, IRD, CNRS, INRA, Univ Montpellier , CIRAD, Montpellier, FranceInstitut de pharmacopée et de médecine traditionnelle (Herbier National du Gabon), CENAREST, Libreville, GabonDivision of Biological and Environmental Sciences Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Stirling , FK9 4LA, United KingdomCenter for Tropical Forest Science—Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, United States of AmericaLaboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, Toulouse, FranceDepartment of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland , College Park, MD, United States of AmericaDepartment of Geography, University College London , London, United Kingdom; School of Geography, University of Leeds , Leeds, United KingdomInstitut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale (IRET) , CENAREST, Libreville, GabonNicolas School of the Environment, Duke University , Durham, NC, United States of AmericaDivision of Biological and Environmental Sciences Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Stirling , FK9 4LA, United Kingdom; School of Geography, University of Leeds , Leeds, United Kingdom; Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux (ANPN), GabonDepartment of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland , College Park, MD, United States of AmericaMapping tree species diversity is increasingly important in the face of environmental change and biodiversity conservation. We explore a potential way of mapping this diversity by relating forest structure to tree species diversity in Gabon. First, we test the relation between canopy height, as a proxy for niche volume, and tree species diversity. Then, we test the relation between vertical canopy structure, as a proxy for vertical niche occupation, and tree species diversity. We use large footprint full-waveform airborne lidar data collected across four study sites in Gabon (Lopé, Mabounié, Mondah, and Rabi) in combination with in situ estimates of species richness (S) and Shannon diversity (H′). Linear models using canopy height explained 44% and 43% of the variation in S and H′ at the 0.25 ha resolution. Linear models using canopy height and the plant area volume density profile explained 71% of this variation. We demonstrate applications of these models by mapping S and H′ in Mondah using a simulated GEDI-TanDEM-X fusion height product, across the four sites using wall-to-wall airborne lidar data products, and across and between the study sites using ICESat lidar waveforms. The modeling results are encouraging in the context of developing pan-tropical structure-diversity models applicable to data from current and upcoming spaceborne remote sensing missions.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2dcdbiodiversityradarlidarLVISICESatGEDI |
| spellingShingle | Suzanne Mariëlle Marselis Hao Tang John Armston Katharine Abernethy Alfonso Alonso Nicolas Barbier Pulchérie Bissiengou Kathryn Jeffery David Kenfack Nicolas Labrière Seung-Kuk Lee Simon L Lewis Hervé Memiaghe John R Poulsen Lee White Ralph Dubayah Exploring the relation between remotely sensed vertical canopy structure and tree species diversity in Gabon Environmental Research Letters biodiversity radar lidar LVIS ICESat GEDI |
| title | Exploring the relation between remotely sensed vertical canopy structure and tree species diversity in Gabon |
| title_full | Exploring the relation between remotely sensed vertical canopy structure and tree species diversity in Gabon |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the relation between remotely sensed vertical canopy structure and tree species diversity in Gabon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the relation between remotely sensed vertical canopy structure and tree species diversity in Gabon |
| title_short | Exploring the relation between remotely sensed vertical canopy structure and tree species diversity in Gabon |
| title_sort | exploring the relation between remotely sensed vertical canopy structure and tree species diversity in gabon |
| topic | biodiversity radar lidar LVIS ICESat GEDI |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2dcd |
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