About the link between biodiversity and spectral variation

0560956 - BÚ 2023 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Fassnacht, F. E. - Müllerová, Jana - Conti, L. - Malavasi, M. - Schmidtlein, S.
About the link between biodiversity and spectral variation.
Applied vegetation science. Roč. 25, č. 1 (2022), č. článku e12643. ISSN 1402-2001. E-ISSN 1654-109X
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) LTC18007
Institutional support: RVO:67985939
Keywords : biodiversity * remote sensing * spectral variability * hypothesis
OECD category: Ecology
Impact factor: 2.8, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12643

The spectral variability hypothesis (SVH) suggests a link between spectral variation and plant biodiversity. The underlying assumptions are that higher spectral variation in canopy reflectance (depending on scale) is caused by either (1) variation in habitats or linked vegetation types or plant communities with their specific optical community traits or (2) variation in the species themselves and their specific optical traits.
We reveal that in many situations the spectral variation caused by species or functional traits is subtle in comparison to other factors such as seasonality and physiological status. Moreover, the degree of contrast in reflectance has little to do with the number but rather with the identity of the species or communities involved. Hence, spectral variability should not be expressed based on contrast but rather based on metrics expressing manifoldness. While we describe cases where a certain link between spectral variation and plant species diversity can be expected, we believe that as a scientific hypothesis (which suggests a general validity of this assumed relationship) the SVH is flawed and requires refinement.
To this end we call for more research examining the drivers of spectral variation in vegetation canopies and their link to plant species diversity and biodiversity in general. Such research will allow critically assessing under which conditions spectral variation is a useful indicator for biodiversity monitoring and how it could be integrated into monitoring networks.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0333726