Plant beta-diversity across biomes captured by imaging spectroscopy

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Remote Sensing
• Biodiversity Science

Background:

• Global plant species distributions are changing rapidly, necessitating large-scale biodiversity assessments.
• Spaceborne imaging spectrometers are key for continuous, repeated biodiversity monitoring.
• The utility of imaging spectroscopy for capturing plant diversity across ecosystems remains to be fully determined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the capability of imaging spectroscopy to capture plant species composition and diversity across various ecosystems.
• To evaluate the relationship between spectral diversity and plant diversity at landscape and local scales.
• To determine the effectiveness of spectral beta-diversity for large-scale biodiversity monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Utilized imaging spectroscopy and vegetation data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).
• Calculated spectral beta-diversity directly from spectral images.
• Analyzed relationships between spectral and plant diversity at landscape and local scales across different biomes.

Main Results:

• Spectral beta-diversity accurately captured plant species composition changes across major US biomes, from arctic tundra to tropical forests.
• At the local level, spectral alpha-diversity correlated positively with plant alpha-diversity only in areas with high canopy density and large plant-to-pixel ratios.
• Demonstrated the reliability of imaging spectroscopy for assessing plant species composition and diversity at the landscape scale.

Conclusions:

• Imaging spectroscopy is a reliable tool for assessing plant species composition and diversity across terrestrial ecosystems at the beta-diversity scale.
• This approach aligns with the spatial scales of spaceborne missions, enabling planetary-level biodiversity monitoring.
• Paves the way for near real-time global biodiversity tracking using spectral data.