Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecology
Visual information can influence animal behavior and habitat use in diverse ways. Visibility is the property that relates 3D habitat structure to accessibility of visual information. Despite the importance of visibility in animal ecology, this property remains largely unstudied. Our objective was to...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.911051/full |
| _version_ | 1798039117367345152 |
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| author | Rachel M. Stein Bastien Lecigne Jan U. H. Eitel Timothy R. Johnson Craig McGowan Craig McGowan Janet L. Rachlow |
| author_facet | Rachel M. Stein Bastien Lecigne Jan U. H. Eitel Timothy R. Johnson Craig McGowan Craig McGowan Janet L. Rachlow |
| author_sort | Rachel M. Stein |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Visual information can influence animal behavior and habitat use in diverse ways. Visibility is the property that relates 3D habitat structure to accessibility of visual information. Despite the importance of visibility in animal ecology, this property remains largely unstudied. Our objective was to assess how habitat structure from diverse environments and animal position within that structure can influence visibility. We gathered terrestrial lidar data (1 cm at 10 m) in four ecosystems (forest, shrub-steppe, prairie, and desert) to characterize viewsheds (i.e., estimates of visibility based on spatially explicit sightlines) from multiple vantage points. Both ecosystem-specific structure and animal position influenced potential viewsheds. Generally, as height of the vantage point above the ground increased, viewshed extent also increased, but the relationships were not linear. In low-structure ecosystems (prairie, shrub-steppe, and desert), variability in viewsheds decreased as vantage points increased to heights above the vegetation canopy. In the forest, however, variation in viewsheds was highest at intermediate heights, and markedly lower at the lowest and highest vantage points. These patterns are likely linked to the amount, heterogeneity, and distribution of vegetation structure occluding sightlines. Our work is the first to apply a new method that can be used to estimate viewshed properties relevant to animals (i.e., viewshed extent and variability). We demonstrate that these properties differ across terrestrial landscapes in complex ways that likely influence many facets of animal ecology and behavior. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:49:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8459257f54c34930b5aab770037742c5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:49:29Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-8459257f54c34930b5aab770037742c52022-12-22T04:01:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-08-011010.3389/fevo.2022.911051911051Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecologyRachel M. Stein0Bastien Lecigne1Jan U. H. Eitel2Timothy R. Johnson3Craig McGowan4Craig McGowan5Janet L. Rachlow6Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesDepartment of Biological Sciences, Centre for Forest Research (CEF), NSERC/Hydro-Québec Chain on Tree Growth Control, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, CanadaDepartment of Natural Resources and Society, McCall Outdoor Science School, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesDepartment of Mathematics and Statistical Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesKeck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United StatesDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United StatesVisual information can influence animal behavior and habitat use in diverse ways. Visibility is the property that relates 3D habitat structure to accessibility of visual information. Despite the importance of visibility in animal ecology, this property remains largely unstudied. Our objective was to assess how habitat structure from diverse environments and animal position within that structure can influence visibility. We gathered terrestrial lidar data (1 cm at 10 m) in four ecosystems (forest, shrub-steppe, prairie, and desert) to characterize viewsheds (i.e., estimates of visibility based on spatially explicit sightlines) from multiple vantage points. Both ecosystem-specific structure and animal position influenced potential viewsheds. Generally, as height of the vantage point above the ground increased, viewshed extent also increased, but the relationships were not linear. In low-structure ecosystems (prairie, shrub-steppe, and desert), variability in viewsheds decreased as vantage points increased to heights above the vegetation canopy. In the forest, however, variation in viewsheds was highest at intermediate heights, and markedly lower at the lowest and highest vantage points. These patterns are likely linked to the amount, heterogeneity, and distribution of vegetation structure occluding sightlines. Our work is the first to apply a new method that can be used to estimate viewshed properties relevant to animals (i.e., viewshed extent and variability). We demonstrate that these properties differ across terrestrial landscapes in complex ways that likely influence many facets of animal ecology and behavior.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.911051/full3D structurehabitatsensory ecologyterrestrial lidarviewshedviewshed3d |
| spellingShingle | Rachel M. Stein Bastien Lecigne Jan U. H. Eitel Timothy R. Johnson Craig McGowan Craig McGowan Janet L. Rachlow Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecology Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 3D structure habitat sensory ecology terrestrial lidar viewshed viewshed3d |
| title | Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecology |
| title_full | Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecology |
| title_fullStr | Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecology |
| title_short | Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecology |
| title_sort | vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems implications for animal ecology |
| topic | 3D structure habitat sensory ecology terrestrial lidar viewshed viewshed3d |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.911051/full |
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