Multi-scale environmental geodiversity: data for the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) with an adaptable...

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Geospatial Analysis

Background:

• Biodiversity patterns are fundamentally linked to spatial variability in environmental conditions.
• Current biodiversity models often use mean environmental values, neglecting spatial heterogeneity (geodiversity) across scales.
• Accessing and processing large environmental datasets poses challenges for many researchers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an open, reproducible, and adaptable workflow for extracting and summarizing environmental geodiversity.
• To provide ready-to-use data on climate and elevation geodiversity metrics and mean values.
• To facilitate the examination of multiscalar geodiversity effects on ecological processes.

Main Methods:

• Developed a workflow to extract and summarize environmental geodiversity at varying spatial scales.
• Utilized climate and elevation data for National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) sites.
• Organized data into 13 spatial layers with over 20,400 tabular values.

Main Results:

• Created analysis-ready data on climate and elevation geodiversity and mean values.
• Data covers plot, site, and domain scales for NEON sites across the United States.
• The workflow and data are designed for accessibility and adaptability.

Conclusions:

• The provided workflow and data lower barriers to using geodiversity metrics in ecological research.
• Enables examination of how geodiversity at multiple scales influences ecological processes.
• Supports broader research into the drivers of biodiversity patterns.