Abstract
Ecosystem state can be characterized by a set of attributes that are related to the ecosystem functionality, which is a relevant issue in understanding the quality and quantity of ecosystem services and goods, adaptive capacity and resilience to perturbations. This study proposes a major identification of Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) in Spain to characterize the patterns of ecosystem functional diversity and status, from several functional attributes as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Albedo. For this purpose, several metrics, related to the spatial variability in seasonal and annual patterns (e.g., relative range), have been derived from remote sensing time series of 1 km MODIS over the period 2000–2009. Moreover, precipitation maps from data provided by the AEMet (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología) and the corresponding aridity and humidity indices were also included in the analysis. To create the EFTs, the potential of the joint use of Kohonen’s Self-Organizing Map (SOM) and the k-means clustering algorithm was tested. The EFTs were analyzed using different remote sensing (i.e., Gross Primary Production) and climatic variables. The relationship of the EFTs with existing land cover datasets and climatic data were analyzed through a correspondence analysis (CA). The trained SOM have shown feasible in providing a comprehensive view on the functional attributes patterns and a remarkable potential for the quantification of ecosystem function. The results highlight the potential of this technique to delineate ecosystem functional types as well as to monitor the spatial pattern of the ecosystem status as a reference for changes due to human or climate impacts.
Highlights
Ecosystem transformation and status in the earth system are raising increasing concern [1] because the ecosystems are vital for human and animal well-being
The spatial distribution of the averaged Aridity Index, which represents a measure of water availability in the ecosystem, is related to the relief and a longitudinal gradient, which determines the spatial distribution of precipitation and temperature
Ecosystem functional types (EFTs) defined as areas exhibiting similar response to environmental conditions and similar ecosystem processes are considered as a useful proxy to characterize the ecosystem status
Summary
Ecosystem transformation and status in the earth system are raising increasing concern [1] because the ecosystems are vital for human and animal well-being. Ecological land classification, a hierarchically structured, multifactor approach for mapping ecological units at multiple scales, has been shown to be helpful in quantifying variation in fundamental ecological processes [14] In this respect, diverse approaches and nomenclatures have been applied and defined at continental [15], regional [16] and local scales [17]. Ecoregions have been defined as geographic zones that represent geographical groups or associations of functioning ecosystems [18] Other approaches of this type include the maps of isogrowth [19], the delimitation of biozones [20], pheno-classes [13] and pheno-regions [21]
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