Main Vegetation Types Research Articles

Changes in mycorrhizal status and type in plant communities along altitudinal and ecological gradients-a case study from the Northern Urals (Russia).

The Ural Mountains (the Urals) are a mountain range on the border between the continents of Europe and Asia. The Urals extend about 2500 km from north to south and run from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the steppe of northwestern Kazakhstan. In terms of mycorrhizal traits, the vegetation of the Urals has not been studied absolutely compared with the other mountain systems of Europe. Detailed research of vegetation at the Telpos-iz Ridge (Northern Urals, Russia) allowed us to analyze changes in mycorrhizal status (obligatory mycorrhizal, OM; facultative mycorrhizal, FM; non-mycorrhizal, NM) and type (arbuscular, AM; ectomycorrhiza, ECM; ericoid, ERM; ORM, orchid mycorrhiza; NM) both in the main vegetation types and the individual communities along the elevation and ecological gradients based on 165 releves. This is the first attempt to describe the mycorrhizal status of plant communities across different elevations and ecological conditions outside Europe and North America. OM species were most diverse in all vegetation types. Maximal share of NM species was found in the mires and may be explained by over logged and unfertile soils of these habitats. Arbuscular mycorrhizas dominated across all vegetation types except for mires, where specific ecological conditions result in the prevalence of ECM and NM species. We analyzed the mycorrhizal status and type of plant communities along the main ecological gradients and found a decisive role of elevation and soil nitrogen content. At the same time, it remains unclear which factor determines the distribution of ECM and AM communities which are most represented in the vegetation of the study area.

Global Overview of Ecosystem Services Provided by Riparian Vegetation

Abstract Fluvial riparian vegetation (RV) links fluvial and terrestrial ecosystems. It is under significant pressure from anthropogenic activities, and, therefore, the management and restoration of RV are increasingly important worldwide. RV has been investigated from different perspectives, so knowledge on its structure and function is widely distributed. An important step forward is to convert existing knowledge into an overview easily accessible—for example, for use in decision-making and management. We aim to provide an overview of ecosystem services provided by RV by adopting a structured approach to identify the ecosystem services, describe their characteristics, and rank the importance of each service. We evaluate each service within four main riparian vegetation types adopting a global perspective to derive a broad concept. Subsequently, we introduce a guided framework for use in RV management based on our structured approach. We also identify knowledge gaps and evaluate the opportunities an ecosystem service approach offers to RV management.

Plant communities and their environmental drivers on an arid mountain, Gebel Elba, Egypt

Aims: Gebel Elba is an arid mountain range supporting biological diversity that is incomparable to any other region of Egypt. This mountain has a vegetation structure and floristic community similar to the highlands of East Africa and the southwestern Arabian Peninsula. We aimed to provide the first classification of the vegetation units on Gebel Elba and identify the environmental factors controlling their distribution. Study area: Wadi Yahmib and its tributaries, which drain the north-western slopes of Gebel Elba, south-eastern Egypt. Methods: On the basis of 169 relevés, we used TWINSPAN to classify the perennial vegetation. We calculated separate GAMs for the deciduous and evergreen species to describe the patterns for each leaf strategy type with elevation. We used CCA to quantify the relationship between the perennial vegetation and the studied environmental factors. To estimate diversity and our sampling strategy, we used rarefaction curves for species richness. Results: We identified seven communities along the elevational gradient of Wadi Yahmib and its tributaries. We found that each community was restricted to a confined habitat depending on its drought resistance ability. Deciduous Vachellia woodland was the main vegetation type on Gebel Elba, while evergreen Olea woodland appeared in small fragments at higher elevations. We analysed the distribution patterns of deciduous and evergreen trees along the elevational gradient. We found a turnover at 500 m, indicating a potential ecotone between the Vachellia and Olea woodlands that was occupied by a Ficus community. CCA revealed the importance of altitude and soil quality in determining the vegetation structure of Gebel Elba. The species richness increased with elevation as a result of reduced stress and increased water availability at the upper wadis. Conclusions: This study identified seven vegetation units in the study area and showed the importance of orographic precipitation, soil quality and the complex topography in determining the habitats. Taxonomic reference: Boulos (2009); names updated according to POWO (2019). Abbreviations: CCA = Canonical Correspondence Analysis; GAM = Generalized Additive Model; TWINSPANTWINSPAN = Two Way Indicator Species Analysis.

Phylogenetic patterns of shrub communities along the longitudinal and latitudinal gradients on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Biodiversity distribution patterns are a basic and long-standing but crucial aspect of ecology research. These patterns form the primary source of data used to develop biodiversity protection practices, especially in mountain ecosystems. Shrubs comprise one of the main types of vegetation on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, where they serve vital ecological functions. In this study, we used a community phylogenetic approach to examine the distribution patterns of shrub communities along the longitudinal and latitudinal gradients on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. We observed significant latitudinal trends in both the phylogenetic diversity (PD) and net relatedness index (NRI) values of shrub communities, such that the former decreased and the latter increased with increasing latitude. However, no significant PD, NRI and nearest taxon index (NTI) distribution patterns were observed along a longitudinal gradient. A further analysis revealed that the combination of temperature-related and precipitation-related climate variables most strongly affected the PD, NRI and NTI values of shrub communities, indicating that the latitudinal patterns in the PD, NRI and NTI of a shrub community may be determined mainly by interactions with these climate factors.

China's national nature reserve network shows great imbalances in conserving the country's mega-diverse vegetation

The National Nature Reserve (NNR) network forms a central element in China's governmental strategy to conserve the country's vast biodiversity and its varied ecosystems. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of the existing NNR network in protecting China's highly diverse habitats and the fauna and flora they contain has remained unclear. Here, we analyze how comprehensively the existing NNR network protects China's vegetation diversity, identifying potential gaps to inform future NNR designations. Covering ~15.7% of China's land area, the existing nature reserve network contains 18 main vegetation types and 26 sub-types. All main vegetation types are also contained in the National-level Nature Reserves (NNRs), but to highly differing degrees. NNRs cover ~24.0% of China's grasslands, but only ~3.3% of the country's monsoon forests. With regards to main vegetation regions, about 41.4% of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is covered by NNRs, in contrast to only ~4.6% of the region representing warm-temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests. In five main vegetation regions, NNRs cover <10% of the area and are scattered across a highly fragmented network, leading for example to China's highly biodiverse subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests being conserved only in small, isolated NNRs. NNRs also greatly vary in the number of vegetation types they individually comprise, with only 64 NNRs (18.9%) individually containing >50% of the vegetation types in their respective region. Overall, NNR size increases and fragmentation decreases from China's south-east to its western provinces. The resulting, extremely uneven distribution of NNRs across China limits their effectiveness in protection the country's plant diversity treasure trove. The country's NNR network therefore needs significant adjustments to effectively conserve China's valuable natural resources for future generations.

Return rates from plant foraging on the Cape south coast: Understanding early human economies

The Cape south coast of South Africa has attracted significant archaeological research because it hosts the earliest evidence of human cultural and material complexity. Furthermore, the now-submerged Palaeo-Agulhas Plain provided habitat and resources for humans during the emergence of modern behavioural traits. Using a human behavioural ecology approach—optimal foraging theory—we sought to understand how this region’s flora may have contributed to the existence of early humans along the Cape south coast. We conducted monthly plant food foraging excursions over a two-year period in the seven main vegetation types that occur within the study area. Two (rarely three) local inhabitants harvested indigenous edible plant parts in 30-min foraging bouts. A total of sixty-eight participants (of Khoe-San descent), with knowledge on edible indigenous flora, contributed to 451 bouts. This study thus provides the largest published actualistic dataset on plant foraging returns. Without any prior knowledge of spatial resource density, the foragers harvested a total of 90 different edible species and obtained an overall mean (±SD) hourly return of 0.66 ± 0.45 kg/h or 141 ± 221 kcal/h. Apart from renosterveld, where winter returns were higher compared to summer, all other vegetation types showed no seasonal difference in return rates. Plants, therefore, most likely played an important role as fall-back or reliable staple food in the Cape south coast. Edible resources were unevenly distributed spatially, with calorific returns ranging from 0 to 2079 kcal/h, with fewer — but productive — high-density areas or “hotspots”. Sand fynbos (246 ± 307 kcal/h) and dune fynbos-thicket mosaic (214 ± 303 kcal/h) yielded significantly higher returns than other vegetation types (except for riparian). Prior knowledge of such hotspots, both within and amongst vegetation types, would have offered a significant foraging advantage. Finally, we provide the first quantified evidence that forager-extracted plant returns are significantly higher—nearly three times higher—in recently burnt sand and limestone fynbos vegetation. This supports Deacon’s hypothesis that hunter-gatherers could have improved their return rates by purposely burning Cape vegetation (i.e. “fire-stick farming”) to give them access to temporally abundant geophyte "hotspots". We also demonstrate the current challenges when comparing plant return rates across different studies and discuss the benefits of using participants that are not full-time hunter gatherers.

Central-European vegetation types and their optima along successional gradient

Although the identification of plant communities is the basic language of communication, studies that focus on the classification of vegetation in successional series are rather rare, mainly because it is difficult to identify different types of vegetation. Thanks to formalized algorithms of machine learning, we were able to assign some of vegetation plots stored in a Database of Successional Series (DaSS) to alliances in the vegetation classification system. Of the samples in DaSS 67.4% were classified into 96 vegetation alliances. Classification of the seral stages was then used to predict optima and intervals of occurrence of 33 main types of vegetation in the first 70 years from the onset of succession. In accordance with general expectations, main types of vegetation were arranged at the time-scale from ruderal and segetal vegetation, across grasslands to shrubby and forest vegetation. Successional optima of particular units of vegetation can be used to roughly predict the successional changes at human-disturbed sites in central Europe.

Soil–plant interactions in a pasture of the Italian Alps

ABSTRACT A detailed assessment of a pasture’s functioning based on soil properties characterization, floristic composition, and ‘functional summary’ by evaluating competitor–stress tolerator–ruderal (CSR) strategies is provided for a doline in Central Italian Alps. A floristic survey was carried out at 35 sampling points, representative of the main topographic features, soil and vegetation types; the functional profile at the community level was evaluated by assessing for each species its Grime’s CSR strategy; each point was characterized through soil profiles and topsoil (0–10 cm) sampling; pH, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen, available P, soil humus fraction, root density, bulk density, water content, and available water capacity were determined. Our study showed i) a strong relationship between vegetation, soil properties, topography, and grazing; ii) a prevalence of stress-tolerant strategies; iii) the ability of plant strategy variation to reflect the ecological parameters; and iv) the vegetation potentiality to be an indicator of environmental spatial variability.

Community characteristics of main vegetation types in the ecological “green-core” area of Changzhutan urban cluster

Community characteristics of main vegetation types in the ecological “green-core” area of Changzhutan urban cluster

Distribution of Biomphalaria Snails in Associated Vegetations and Schistosome Infection Prevalence Along the Shores of Lake Victoria in Mbita, Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma mansoni remains a major public health problem and cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa despite the implementation of control programmes. More than 6 million Kenyans are at risk of infection. Regarding control measures, Biomphalaria snail species, which are the obligatory intermediate hosts for transmission of S. mansoni, have been neglected. Mbita subcounty in Homa Bay County, western Kenya, along Lake Victoria basin, has a high prevalence of S. mansoni infection despite mass drug administration. This study aimed to determine the abundance of Biomphalaria, with their associated vegetation and schistosome infection rates, along Mbita shoreline. Methods: Sixteen purposively selected sites along the Mbita shoreline were sampled for Biomphalaria snails using a 30-minute scooping technique. Global positioning system technology was used to map selected sites. The associated vegetation at sampling sites were collected and identified. Schistosome infection status among the snails was determined via the detection of cercaria shedding. Results: A total of 3,135 Biomphalaria sudanica snails were collected. The number of snails collected differed significantly between the 16 sites (F=11.735; degrees of freedom [df]=15.836; P<.001). Significant mean differences (MD) were also observed in terms of the number of snails collected per vegetation type (F=7.899; df=5.846; P<.001). The mean number of snails collected from Cyprus gracilis was significantly higher than that from Enydra fluactuants (MD= 2.03; P<.001), Eichhornia crassipes (MD=4.15; P<.010), and E. fluactuants mixed with E. crassipes (MD=2.516; P<.010). A total of 21 (0.67%) snails shed human cercariae, while 27 (0.86%) snails shed nonhuman cercariae, despite 14 sites having human faeces contamination. Conclusion: Although the schistosome infection prevalence among the snails was low, these sites may still be important exposure sites. C. gracilis is the main vegetation type associated with a high abundance of Biomphalaria snails. Molecular techniques are necessary for verification of schistosome positivity among the snails.

Climate and soils at the Brazilian semiarid and the forest-Caatinga problem: new insights and implications for conservation

This study aimed to test two hypotheses: (i) on the Brazilian semiarid territory, the climate has greater weight as a driver of vegetation than the soil and; (ii) the arboreal Caatinga is a vegetation whose environmental attributes are similar to the Dry Forest, in terms of soil and climate attributes. We analyzed attributes of the superficial horizon of 156 standardized profiles distributed throughout the Brazilian semiarid region. Bioclimatic variables were obtained from the WorldClim platform and extracted to profiles location. The main vegetation types in the region were considered: Caatinga, arboreal Caatinga, Dry Forest and Cerrado. Variable selection was performed with hierarchical correlation dendrogram and recursive feature elimination algorithm. Linear Discriminant Analysis and Random Forest (RF) algorithm were used for modeling the edaphic and climate niche and predict the vegetation with the selected variables. Climate and soil, individually, were able to separate the vegetation, but the climate was no better predictor than the soil. Therefore, we reject the first hypothesis. However, the better prediction was attained with the combined use of soil and climate attributes. The parsimonious RF model had good performance, with Kappa 0.61 ± 0.10 and 70.9% ± 7.7% accuracy. The combination of soil and climate predictors resulted in better separation of vegetation in the Brazilian semiarid region. Soil attributes are key variables in large-scale biogeographic modeling. The so-called arboreal Caatinga is distributed over a wide edaphic and climatic range, with strong similarity to the Dry Forest distribution, confirmed by the great overlap in the multivariate space, which confirms the second hypothesis. The results point towards an urgent review of the Atlantic Forest Law. The environments where the arboreal Caatinga and the Dry Forest occur are very similar, so that the former may represent a degraded phase of the Atlantic Forest, currently without the due legal protection.

Functional landscape of Sila Grande (Calabria, Italy): Vegetation dynamism and synphytosociology

The aim of this presentation is to present practical problems related to the land management and biodiversity conservation, using methods of landscape analysis through approaches of synphytosociology. The study area was Sila Grande (Calabria, S Italy), for which an exhaustive bibliographic analysis was carried out and cartographic materials were collected. Spatial data and different themes were organized in a Geographic Information System (GIS), proceeding with a first segmentation (environmental patches identification) based on geomorphologic, geological land use, bioclimatic, etc. In addition, an analysis of mountainous plant communities was carried out, based on 1047 phytosociological relevés (554 original) in order to investigate paleo-geographic, ecological and anthropic factors that influence floral and vegetation diversity. Data from literature and field studies (1998–2013) have been critically analyzed in order to clarify the syntaxonomic position of the main vegetation types. Twenty-six new syntaxa (associations and subassociations) are proposed and an updated sintaxonomic scheme is presented. Querco-Fagetea and Molinio-Arrhenetheretea are the most represented classes in the area due to the bioclimatic factors. Wet communities (Isoeto-Nanojuncetea, Nardetea strictae, ScheuchzerioCaricetea fuscae, Montio-Cardaminetea and Littorelletea uniflorae) have a significant biogeographical importance due to a rich group of boreal species. This “Nordic imprint” of the flora, vegetation and landscape is of special interest and its peculiarities are analyzed from ecological and biogeographycal point of view. Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean elements prevail in the dry grasslands and shrublands. Some problems about the dynamics of vegetation are discussed such as the role of black pine communities and their relations with beech forests, trying also to provide clues for conservation strategies and management.

Distinguishing the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic factors on vegetation dynamics in the Yangtze River Basin, China

Abstract Assessing and attributing vegetation dynamics can provide essential information for environmental resources management, particularly for those regions with fragile ecosystems. The Yangtze River Basin (YRB), a region of pivotal importance to the ecological balance and security of China, has experienced dramatic changes in environment and landscape driven by climate change and human activities, especially afforestation projects in recent years. Yet how the driving factors contribute quantitatively to vegetation dynamics is not well established. Here we investigate spatiotemporal variability of vegetation coverage in terms of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) over 2001–2015, and analyze the actual influences of various climatic factors on EVI inter-annual variations. Further analysis quantifies the contributions of climate change and anthropogenic factors to EVI inter-annual variations. The results show that over the 15-year period, the average EVI demonstrated fluctuations but denoted a generally upward trend, with an increasing rate of 0.0027/a. According to the Hurst exponent analysis, areas with consistent improvement were primarily concentrated in Hunan Province and eastern Sichuan Province, where the main vegetation types are broadleaf forest and mixed forest. The average contributions of temperature, precipitation and solar radiation to EVI inter-annual variations in the YRB was 0.0041/a, 0.00012/a, and −0.0034/a, respectively. Temperature was the controlling climate factor, with the greatest contribution to EVI inter-annual variations, while solar radiation made strong negative contributions. The average contributions of climate change and anthropogenic factors to EVI inter-annual variations were 0.0008/a and 0.0019/a, accounting for 70.37% and 29.63% of the total EVI changes respectively. Human activities, especially ecological afforestation projects, were the main driving factors improving vegetation coverage in the YRB, and the spatial distribution of forest gains was consistent with the positive contribution of human activities to the EVI trend. However, urbanization has occupied the growth space of vegetation and was a negative human-induced factor affecting vegetation growth.

Plant evolutionary assembly along elevational belts at Mt. Kilimanjaro: Using phylogenetics to asses biodiversity threats under climate change

Accumulating evidence suggests that species sensitivity to climatic change is strongly related to their ecological niches, which are somewhat evolutionary conserved. Insofar as this is true, climate change-driven extinctions may be non-random with respect to phylogeny, and entire branches of the tree of life might be lost. In mountainous regions, where macroecological conditions change abruptly with elevation, evolutionarily lineages may show deep phylogenetic turnover along elevational belts, and such “layering” of the phylogeny may lead to disproportionate losses of phylogenetic diversity. Here, we explored phylogenetic alpha and beta diversity patterns of plant assemblages among six elevational belts at Kilimanjaro (i.e. savanna woodland, lower montane forest, middle-montane Ocotea forest, upper-montane Podocarpus forest, Erica subalpine bushland and Helichrysum alpine scrubland). Specifically, we aimed at determining the degree of elevational turnover of plant evolutionary lineages as a diagnostic tool to assess phylogenetic diversity threats owing to shifting environmental conditions. We found relatively deep phylogenetic discontinuities that roughly matched the main modern vegetation types in East Africa, this is, subalpine-alpine vegetation, montane forests and savannas lowlands. However, the upper-montane Podocarpus forest was phylogenetically closer to subalpine-alpine vegetation than to middle (Ocotea) and lower montane forests, despite all these forest belts constituted a floristically integrated unit. Phylogenetic diversity followed a hump-shape relationship with elevation, with significantly high values in lower montane forest and lower than expected scores in savanna, subalpine and alpine belts. Overall, the phylogenetic layering of Kilimanjaro flora reported here suggests that a disproportionate amount of phylogenetic diversity in mountainous regions might be at risk, although the generality of this pattern is yet to be confirmed. In the particular case of Kilimanjaro, human population growth represents a pervasive threat to montane forest, and particularly to the phylogenetically singular remnants of lower montane forest. Besides, climate-change induced fires in the subalpine belt are causing over-riding shrinkage of the upper-montane Podocarpus forest from the timberline. Should these continuing pressures of global change persist, the montane forests of Kilimanjaro may experience substantial shrinking within the next decades, trapped between the “hammer and the anvil” of climate and land-use change.

Floristic features and vegetation classification of the Hulun Buir Steppe in North China: Geography and climate-driven steppe diversification

This study aims to present a comprehensive description of the plant communities of the Hulun Buir Steppe based on floristically complete vegetation records as a baseline reference for future ecological and palaeoecological studies. We identify the main vegetation types in the Hulun Buir Steppe, provide their formal definitions and describe their species composition, habitat affinities and distributions. Floristic features (including floristic composition, life form and plant water ecotypes, floristic geographical elements) were also assessed. We recorded a total of 765 vascular plant taxa belonging to 68 families and 327 genera. The Hulun Buir Steppe indicates typical temperate steppe vegetation where the most frequent life form is hemicryptophytes with the maximum number of species. The most frequent water ecotype of Hulun Buir Steppe is typical-mesophytes. And the most frequent geographical element is the East Paleo-Arctic element. According to China vegetation classification system (China-VCS), the classification of 371 relevés resulted in assignment into 31 formations (Form.) grouped into threeVegetation-types and eleven Vegetation-subtypes. Hulun Buir Steppe vegetation classifications were described for the first time based on complete floristic data and community survey data. Our conclusions show that among the 765 vascular plant taxa, the main plant group among all vascular plants in terms of species numbers comprises dicotyledons, followed by monocotyledons and pteridophyta, with gymnosperms demonstrating the lowest numbers. The life forms are dominated by hemicryptophytes, the water ecological type is dominated by typical-mesophytes, and the floristic geographical element is dominated by the East Palaeo-Arctic element. Plant community types are diverse and can be conceptualized as meadow steppe, typical steppe and desert steppe. The vegetation types of the Hulun Buir Steppe are mainly affected by geographic variables and climatic factors: the geographic variables are mainly affected by the change in precipitation caused by the longitude gradient, while the climatic factors are mainly affected by the East Asian winter monsoon caused by the Siberian High and the East Asian Summer Monsoon caused by the Western Pacific Subtropical High. In addition, the surface runoff caused by forest snowmelt and seasonal rainfall, as well as the distance from the Greater Khingan Mountains, also affect the distribution of the Hulun Buir Steppe vegetation.

Local vegetation patterns of a Neolithic environment at the site of Tianluoshan, China, based on coprolite analysis

In contrast to conventional pollen records from natural sediments, pollen spectra from animal dung are less susceptible to long-distance wind and water transport and therefore have been used as indicators of local and regional vegetation, providing an opportunity to examine micro-environmental patterns relating to human impacts, especially when associated with archaeological evidence. Eight-two coprolites, preserved through waterlogging, from the Chinese Neolithic site of Tianluoshan in the Lower Yangtze were analyzed for pollen, spores and biomarkers. Sterol compounds provide evidence that most excrements originated from dogs. Based on detrended correspondence analysis of the pollen data, three main vegetation types can be seen to be represented: subtropical secondary forests (arboreal and herb pollen), local bush areas (entomophilous shrub and liana pollen) and wetlands (Cerealia-type and Typha pollen). Thirty-one previously undescribed non-pollen palynomorphs were recorded and compared to possible existing types and taxa. NPP assemblages were tentatively explained based on four environmental variables and further characterize the local regimes in the context of human modification.

A 3-Year In-Situ Measurement of CO2 Efflux in Coastal Wetlands: Understanding Carbon Loss through Ecosystem Respiration and its Partitioning

Understanding the link between ecosystem respiration (Reco) and its influential factors is necessary to evaluate the sources of gaseous carbon loss in coastal wetlands. Seablite (Suaeda salsa Pall.) is the main vegetation type pioneering temperate coastal wetlands in northeast China, and is generally an understudied wetland type. To evaluate the influence of environmental factors on Reco, a multi-year in-situ experiment was carried out during the growing seasons of 2012 to 2014. Total CO2 efflux was measured and separated further into soil microbial and belowground root respiration (Rs + r) and plant respiration (Rplant). Reco displayed strong seasonal variation, with effluxes as high as 845 to 1150 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 during summer months and as low as 32 to 111 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 during spring (when new shoots are sprouting) and fall (when plants are senescing) months. Aboveground plant structures contributed on average 79% to total plant biomass, and accounted for most of the Reco measured; i.e., 62–96% was associated as Rplant. Plant activity was strongly seasonal, accordingly driving Reco, with 1 g of soil-emergent S. salsa biomass (dry weight) producing approximately 1.58 mg CO2 per hour toward Reco during mid-summer. When water level was below the soil surface, Rs + r was exponentially correlated to air temperature. Because Reco for S. salsa marsh in the Liaohe Delta is controlled by plant growth cycles, inundation regime, and air temperature, this finding may be applied for national carbon budget estimation purposes from S. salsa wetlands throughout Northeast China and potentially close a key gap in understanding the role of this large wetland area in contributing to respiratory CO2 emissions globally.

A New Method to Enhance the Spatial Features of Multitemporal NDVI Image Series

A novel spatiotemporal fusion (STF) method is presented to enhance the spatial features of low-spatial-resolution (LR) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) image series based on single-date high-spatial-resolution (HR) imagery. The method is particularly suitable for areas where the main vegetation types show asynchronous NDVI evolutions whose spatial distribution cannot be properly characterized by a single-date HR image. In contrast with previous STF methods, the new algorithm identifies these vegetation types by automatically decomposing the LR multitemporal data series, which offers a complete description of major seasonal NDVI evolutions. The new method, named Spatial Enhancer of Vegetation Index image Series (SEVIS), is tested in two Italian study areas using annual MODIS NDVI data sets and some Landsat 8 OLI images taken in different seasons. The performances of SEVIS are analyzed in comparison with those of two other STF methods, the classical Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Fusion Model (STARFM) and the more recent Flexible Spatiotemporal DAta Fusion (FSDAF) algorithm. The results obtained indicate that the three methods perform differently depending mainly on the synchronicity of the NDVI evolutions from the base to the prediction dates. Specifically, SEVIS outperforms the other two methods when the NDVI values evolve differently during the prediction period, i.e., when the base and prediction images are poorly correlated.

Identification of vegetation types and its boundaries using artificial neural networks

The applicability of artificial neural networks (ANN) for the identification of vegetation types using satellite multispectral imagery was studied. The study was focused on the three main vegetation types found in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Region: mixed forest, boreal forest and grassland. Sentinel-2 satellite images were used as a data source for the neural networks. It was shown that vegetation type can be identified pixel-by-pixel using 12 spectral channels and simple feed forward ANN with good quality and reliability. Analysis of the input layer of the trained neural networks allowed several spectral bands to be selected that were the most valuable for the ANN decision and not used in the classic NDVI vegetation index.

Modelling land cover changes in the tropical dry forest surrounding the Chamela-Cuixmala biosphere reserve, Mexico

ABSTRACT Land-use change is one of the main threats to biodiversity conservation in tropical landscapes and natural protected areas are particularly threatened because of the transformation occurring at their neighbouring environments. We analysed the ‘land-cover’ change (LCC) occurring in the areas surrounding the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve (CCBR) in the Pacific coast of Jalisco, Mexico, during the last 40 years (split in two periods, 1970–1993/94 and 1993/94–2011/12). Supervised classifications were generated by applying a multi-temporal approach on Landsat Thematic Mapper (1993/94) and Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre SPOT (2011/12) imagery. The base line (t0) consisted of an historical 1:50,000 scale map of land-use/land-cover (LULC) made in 1970. In addition to LCC predictions for the next four decades, this study generated a variety of indicators identifying the location and intensity of LCC occurring in the CCBR’s surrounding landscapes. The main vegetation formations, tropical dry forest (TDF), and semi-deciduous tropical forest (SDTF), decreased in area 25% and 50%, respectively, during the 1970–1993/94 period. However, annual rates of change (ARC) showed a deacceleration in the reduction of main vegetation formations, for the period 1993/94–2011/12. This study generated indicators identifying the location and intensity of ‘land-cover’ changes occurring in the CCBR’s surrounding landscapes. Potential transition models made evident the CCBR’s key role as a reservoir of the region’s biodiversity associated to main vegetation types such as the tropical deciduous forest and the semi-deciduous forest.