Satellite Based Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation Is Congruent with Plant Diversity in India

Swapna Mahanand,Mukunda Dev Behera,Saroj Kanta Barik,Priyankar Kumar,Prashant Kumar Srivastava,Partha Sarathi Roy

doi:10.3390/rs13020159

Abstract

A dynamic habitat index (DHI) based on satellite derived biophysical proxy (fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, FAPAR) was used to evaluate the vegetation greenness pattern across deserts to alpine ecosystems in India that account to different biodiversity. The cumulative (DHI-cum), minimum (DHI-min), and seasonal (DHI-sea) DHI were generated using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-based FAPAR. The higher DHI-cum and DHI-min represented the biodiversity hotspots of India, whereas the DHI-sea was higher in the semi-arid, the Gangetic plain, and the Deccan peninsula. The arid and the trans-Himalaya are dominated with grassland or barren land exhibit very high DHI-sea. The inter-year correlation demonstrated an increase in vegetation greenness in the semi-arid region, and continuous reduction in greenness in the Northeastern region. The DHI components validated using field-measured plant richness data from four biogeographic regions (semi-arid, eastern Ghats, the Western Ghats, and Northeast) demonstrated good congruence. DHI-cum that represents the annual greenness strongly correlated with the plant richness (R2 = 0.90, p-value < 0.001), thereby emerging as a suitable indicator for assessing plant richness in large-scale biogeographic studies. Overall, the FAPAR-based DHI components across Indian biogeographic regions provided understanding of natural variability of the greenness pattern and its congruence with plant diversity.

Highlights

Biodiversity has a powerful influence on ecosystem dynamics and functions at various geographical scales [1,2]
The eastern part of the Deccan peninsula demonstrated dynamic habitat index (DHI)-cum variation between 0 to 6 and 0 to 12 in alternate years during 2001–2015 (Figure 2)
The present study demonstrated the capability of the DHI, based on a satellite-derived biophysical proxy (i.e., FAPAR), to identify changes in the vegetation greenness

Summary

Introduction

Biodiversity has a powerful influence on ecosystem dynamics and functions at various geographical scales [1,2]. Global biodiversity observations are needed to provide a better understanding of the distribution of biodiversity, to better identify high priority areas for conservation, and to maintain essential ecosystem goods and services [3]. The gradual decline in biodiversity endangers essential ecosystem services and risks unacceptable environmental consequences [4]. Remote sensing technology has provided an effective and evident way to address biodiversity patterns at different geographical scales [6]. Space-borne platforms operate different earth observation satellites, which presents the potential to prepare conservation responses that are commensurate with the scale of conservation [7].

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Discussion

Conclusion