NDVI as an indicator for changes in water availability to woody vegetation

Barrier islands shrub thickets, the dominant woody community of many Atlantic coast barrier islands, are very sensitive to changes in the freshwater lens and thus, constitute a strong indicator of summer drought. NDVI was computed from airborne images and multispectral images on Hog Island (VA, USA) to evaluate summer growing season changes in woody communities for better predictions of climate change effects. Patterns of NDVI were compared year to year and monthly relative to precipitation and water table depth at the appropriate temporal scale. The highest absolute values of NDVI as well as the larger surface covered by woody vegetation (NDVI > 0.5) occurred in the wet year (2004) with a bimodal distribution of NDVI values (around 0.65 and 0.9) while both dry years (2007 and 2008) showed similar values in maximum, mean and standard deviation and unimodal distributions (around 0.75) of NDVI values. Positive linear adjustments were obtained between maximum (r² > 0.9) and mean NDVI (r² > 0.87) and the accumulated rainfall in the hydrological year and the mean water table depth from the last rainfall event till the date of the image acquisition. The spatial variations revealed that water table depth behaved different in wet and dry years. In dry years there was a remarkable increase in mean and maximum values linearly related to water table depth. The highest slope of the adjustment in 2007 indicated a sharp response of vegetation in the driest year. Monthly series of NDVI showed the major role of lack of precipitation through July and August in 2007 with missing classes of NDVI above 0.8 and unimodal distributions in mid-late summer. Best linear fits (r² close to 1) were obtained with rainfall at different temporal scales: accumulated rainfall in the hydrological year 2004 and accumulated rainfall in the last month previous to the date of 2007 image. Thus, in dry years productivity is closely related to water available from recent past as opposed to over the year for wet years. Good fits (r² values higher than 0.88) were obtained between monthly decrease in water table depth and NDVI variables just in the dry year. These results demonstrate the important feedback between woody vegetation response to changes in the freshwater lens using empirical data and could apply to other systems with strong directional gradients in resources.     

基于文献计量分析的喀斯特植被生态学研究态势

喀斯特植被是喀斯特生态系统结构与功能稳定的重要维持者。国内外学者较早关注喀斯特植被的结构、功能和管理等方面研究并发表了诸多成果,但对该领域的发展历程、研究趋势和热点等却鲜有评论。利用1990—2017年Web of Science(WoS)和CNKI数据库中喀斯特植被生态学研究的相关文献信息,运用文献计量统计和可视化方法对年度发文量、引用频次、作者、国家、机构、期刊、关键词等进行分析,解析了28年间国内外该领域的研究态势并对未来发展提出了建议。结果表明,1990—2017年间WoS和CNKI数据库中分别收录了该领域文献457篇和1256篇,28年间发文量呈现波动增长趋势,且在2006年后步入快速发展期。WoS中的文献涉及全球60个国家,我国的发文量占发文总量的50.33%,遥居全球榜首,其次是美国和斯洛文尼亚等国。此外,发文量前10的作者均来自我国,发文量较多的机构也多来自我国,这充分表明我国学者在喀斯特植被生态学方面的研究非常活跃,是全球该领域前沿动向和发展趋势的引领者。期刊分析结果表明,《Environmental Earth Sciences》和《生态学报》分别是该领域外文和中文...     

An Outbreak of Bartonella bacilliformis in an Endemic Andean Community

Background

Bartonellosis affects small Andean communities in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. Research in this area has been limited.

Methods

Retrospective review of 191 cases of bartonellosis managed in Caraz District Hospital, Peru, during the last outbreak (2003).

Results

The majority of cases (65%) were 14 years old and younger. There was a peak in acute cases after the rainy season; chronic cases presented more constantly throughout the year. The sensitivity of blood smear against blood culture in acute disease was 25%. The most commonly used treatment for chronic disease was rifampicin; chloramphenicol was used to treat most acute cases. Complications arose in 6.8% and there were no deaths.

Conclusions

Diagnostic and treatment algorithms for acute and chronic bartonellosis have been developed without a strong evidence base. Preparation of ready-to-go operational research protocols for future outbreaks would strengthen the evidence base for diagnostic and treatment strategies and enhance opportunities for control.     

Patterns of floristic richness in vegetation communities of California: regional scale analysis with multi-temporal NDVI

Aim Applying water‐energy dynamics and heterogeneity theory to explain species richness via remote sensing could allow for the regional characterization and monitoring of vegetation community assemblages and their environment. We assess the relationship of multi‐temporal normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to plant species richness in vegetation communities. Location California, USA. Methods Sub‐regions containing species inventories for chaparral, coastal sage scrub, foothill woodland, and yellow pine forest communities were intersected with a vegetation community map and an AVHRR NDVI time series for 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995 and 1996. Principal components analysis reduced the AVHRR data to three variables representing the sum and temporal trajectories of NDVI within each community. A fourth variable representing heterogeneity was tested using the standard deviation of the first component. Quadratic forms of these variables were also tested. Species richness was analysed by stepwise regression. Results Chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and yellow pine forest had the best relationships between species richness and NDVI. Richness of chaparral was related to NDVI heterogeneity and spring greenness (r² varied between 0.26 and 0.62 depending on year of NDVI data). Richness of coastal sage scrub was nonlinearly related to annual NDVI and heterogeneity (r² 0.63–0.81), with peak richness at intermediate values. Foothill woodland richness was related to heterogeneity in a monotonic curvilinear fashion (r² 0.28–0.35). Yellow pine forest richness was negatively related to spring greenness and positively related to heterogeneity (r² 0.40–0.46). Main Conclusions While NDVI's relationship to species richness varied, the selection of NDVI variables was generally consistent across years and indicated that spatial variability in NDVI may reflect important patterns in water‐energy use that affect plant species richness. The principal component axis that should correspond closely with annual mean NPP showed a less prominent role. We conclude that plant species richness for coarse vegetation associations can be characterized and monitored at a regional scale and over long periods of time using relatively coarse resolution NDVI data.     

中国东北地区植被NDVI对气候变化的响应

结合1982—2003年GIMMS-NDVI数据集和GIS技术,应用基于像元的相关分析方法,分析了东北地区植被NDVI对气候变化的响应。结果表明：1）1982—2003年,东北地区年平均气温呈上升趋势,而年降水量呈下降趋势;东北地区植被NDVI与年平均气温呈显著正相关的像元占12.84%,主要分布在松嫩平原南部、三江平原中部和西辽河平原,植被类型为农田、阔叶林、草原。植被NDVI与年平均气温几乎不存在显著负相关性;植被NDVI与年降水呈显著和极显著正相关的像元比例为4.55%,主要植被类型为草原和农田;植被NDVI与年降水量呈显著负相关的像元比例为7.52%,主要植被类型为针叶林和阔叶林。2）东北地区植被与生长季气温显著正相关和显著负相关的比例分别为3.96%和4.35%;植被与生长季降水显著正相关和显著负相关的比例分别为8.81%和8.54%。3）东北地区58.21%的植被像元与春季气温显著或极显著正相关,主要分布在大兴安岭中部、小兴安岭、长白山及完达山-张广才岭等地区,主要植被类型为阔叶林、农田、针叶林和草甸;植被NDVI与春季气温几乎不存在显著负相关性。植被NDVI与春季降水呈显著正相关和显著负相关的比例分别为4.81%和1.67%。4）东北地区植被NDVI与夏季气温和降水呈显著相关的比例明显少于春季,与夏季气温正相关的比例为7.61%,与夏季降水显著负相关的比例为6.29%。秋季气温和降水对东北地区植被NDVI影响较小,其中植被NDVI与秋季气温显著正相关的像元占植被像元总数的6.05%,几乎不存在与秋季气温显著负相关的植被像元;植被NDVI与秋季降水显著负相关的比例为5.43%,几乎不存在与秋季降水显著正相关的植被像元。     

Helical graphs to visualize the NDVI temporal variation of forest vegetation in an open source space

Global change caused by human activity (e.g., land fragmentation, deforestation, pollution, anthropization of natural landscapes) has several effects on the biomes of the Earth, leading to alterations in the functioning of ecological systems. In this context, remote sensing represents an important tool to assess ecosystem changes, as it allows to collect a huge amount of data at different temporal and spatial resolutions concerning various compartments of the Earth system (land, ocean, atmosphere, and cryosphere). This information can be used to estimate precipitation patterns, global temperatures, snow cover and aerosol concentrations. The aim of this work is to exploit this wide availability of data to display the ecosystem changes using a new visualization method: the helical graphs. The helical graphs represent the change of a variable over time, reporting on the y-axis its moving averages and on the x-axis its rates of change.These new charts were tested on the NDVI index retrieved from Google Earth Engine (https://earthengine.google.com/) to visualize trends on selected biomes of the Earth (tropical and boreal forests). The results show that the helical graphs are a useful tool to highlight trends that might not be easily detected in a time series. In conclusion, the helical graphs can have a lot of application in ecology, especially exploiting the wide amount of data available thanks to the remote sensing.     

哀牢山东、西两侧植被NDVI指数和植被类型与主要环境因子的相关性分析

以哀牢山南段为研究区域,利用遥感植被信息、气候数据以及DEM基础资料,对哀牢山东、西两侧植被的NDVI指数和不同植被类型与主要环境因子的相关性进行分析.研究结果表明,哀牢山东、西两侧山地植被的NDVI指数与海拔的相关性最大,与气温、降水量和太阳总辐射量也有一定的相关性,与坡度和坡向的相关性最小.哀牢山东、西两侧的植被NDVI指数都与年均最低温和年均最高温呈负相关,且东侧区域的相关性大于西侧,表明极值气温对东侧区域的植被影响更大.在哀牢山东、西两侧研究区内共有9种植被类型,以稀树灌木草丛为主要植被类型,分别占各自区域面积的40.59%和35.82%;西侧森林植被中常绿部分所占比重高于东侧.相对于东侧区域,哀牢山西侧区域的海拔偏高、气温偏低、降水量较多、太阳总辐射量较大、植被覆盖度较高.总之,基于地形对水热因子空间再分配的影响作用,哀牢山山脉两侧的气候和植被特征具有较大差异.     

小流域林草植被控制土壤侵蚀机理研究

从坡面水动力学角度研究了坡面乔木林、草本植物和林地枯落物对坡面径流流速和动能的影响机理.结果表明,坡面径流水头损失与坡面坡度、林木密度、净雨强、坡长等有关,水头损失与林木间距(b)和树木地径(D)间的关系为:E^∝(D/b)^4/3;坡面草本植物在水流作用下易弯曲,增大水流底层的阻力,减小床面的切应力;枯枝落叶使径流速度减小,从而大大降低径流挟沙能力.对甘肃省天水市桥子东沟和桥子西沟两个对比小流域的实测单次降雨、径流、泥沙资料分析可见,在相同降水条件下,已治理小流域内的径流量、产沙量、洪峰流量、最大输沙率等指标均小于未治理小流域,说明林草植被在小流域中的涵养水源、保持水土的作用明显.     

Four centuries of vegetation change in the mid-elevation Andean forests of Ecuador

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany - Mid-elevation Andean ecosystems have immense species richness and endemism. Taxonomic composition is known to change through time on the eastern slopes of the...     

Sequence analysis of bacterial DNA in the colon of an Andean mummy

We have isolated DNA from 14 tissue samples from the internal organs of an Andean human mummy (10th–11th century A.D.) and have checked the persistence of the original human and bacterial templates using the following main approaches: 1) amino acid racemization test; 2) quantification of mitochondrial DNA copy number; 3) survey of bacterial DNA in the different organs; 4) sequence analysis of bacterial amplicons of different lengths. The results demonstrate that both the original human DNA and the DNA of the bacteria of the mummy gut are preserved. In particular, sequence analysis of two (respectively 100 and 196 bp in length) libraries of bacterial 16s ribosomal RNA gene amplicons from the mummy colon shows that while the shortest amplicons give only modest and biased indications about the bacterial taxa, the longer amplicons allow the identification several species of the genus Clostridium which are typical of the human colon. This work represents a first example of a methodological approach which is applicable, in principle, to many other natural and artificial mummies and might open the way to the study of the structure of the human microbial ecosystem from prehistory to present. Am J Phys Anthropol 107:285–295, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Evolutionary trends in Mediterranean flora and vegetation

Summary The vegetation of the Mediterranean Basin was originally composed of evergreen forests; during the Pleistocene deciduous forests expanded, chiefly in the mountains. In historical time the forest belt was strongly reduced by human activity and substituted by anthropogenous vegetation types (macchia, garigue, weed-communities). The frequency of polyploids in the present vegetation types support this interpretation. Reciprocal relationships between the vegetational system and social system are discussed and a terminology is proposed. During ancient times and the middle ages a reciprocal control of vegetation and human activity was possible (cyclic system), stabilizing the vegetation in a steady state; the technological impact modified these conditions in a linear sense, and now the vegetation is menaced by irreversible changes.Contribution to the Symposium on Plant species and plant communities, held at Nijmegen, 11–12 November 1976, on the occasion of the 60th birthday of Professor Victor Westhoff.     

西南地区不同植被类型归一化植被指数与气候因子的相关分析

基于中国西南地区1982—2006年的归一化植被指数(NDVI)遥感数据集和气象数据,运用GIS技术对年均气温、年降水量和干旱指数进行插值,分析了西南地区不同植被类型(沼泽、灌丛、草丛、草原、草甸、针叶林、阔叶林、高山植被、栽培植被)NDVI的年际变化及其与气候因子的相关性.结果表明:研究期间,西南地区NDVI、年均气温、年降水量总体呈上升趋势,其中,年均气温的上升趋势达极显著水平,干旱指数则呈下降趋势;在9种植被类型中,沼泽和草丛NDVI呈下降趋势,且草丛的下降趋势达显著水平,其他7种植被类型的NDVI均呈上升趋势,且针叶林、草甸和高山植被的NDVI上升趋势达显著水平,灌丛NDVI呈极显著上升趋势.9种植被类型所在地区的年均气温均显著上升;年降水量的变化均不显著;沼泽、草丛和栽培植被所在地区的干旱指数呈上升趋势,草甸和高山植被所在地区的干旱指数显著下降,其他4种植被类型所在地区的干旱指数呈不明显的下降趋势.研究区灌丛和针叶林NDVI与年均气温呈显著正相关,灌丛和草甸NDVI与干旱指数呈显著负相关.在保持其他2个气候因子不变的情况下,针叶林、阔叶林、高山植被NDVI与年均气温的相关性最大,草丛NDVI与年降水...     

浙江省植被NDVI动态及其对气候的响应

利用GIMMS和MODIS两种归一化植被指数(NDVI)资料反演了1982—2010年浙江植被覆盖状况,结合同期研究区63个气象站点的气温、降水和湿润指数等气候指标,分析了该地区植被年际变化、月际变化及其对气候要素的响应特征。结果表明:(1)研究期间,浙江气候总体呈暖干化趋势,植被覆盖缓慢下降,主要是由于森林植被遭破坏,农业生产活动受抑制影响所致,其中NDVI显著减少的地区约占全省陆域面积的29.1%,主要发生在6—11月;(2)降水量及干湿程度对浙江植被NDVI年变化起着决定性作用。植被与气候要素年变化相关分析发现,NDVI与湿润指数关系较降水、气温更为密切,两者相关及偏相关系数均通过0.05水平的置信度检验,这表明在年际尺度上,湿度的增加增大了植被的生长势,有利于植被生长;(3)植被与气候要素月变化分析表明冬季的热量供给是影响浙江植被生长的重要因子,而植被变化对夏季降水和干湿程度的最大响应为滞后两个月;(4)农业生产水平的提高使得农作物种植区NDVI有所增加,人类活动对浙江植被覆盖的影响不可忽视。     

山西桑干河流域湿地植被物种多样性研究

以109个样方调查数据为基础,采用丰富度指数、物种多样性指数和均匀度指数对山西桑干河流域湿地植物群落的物种多样性进行了研究,并用方差分析和多重比较的方法研究了各群落之间多样性指数的差异程度。研究结果表明：各植被类型的物种多样性指数大小排列依次为：柽柳—委陵菜群落＞柽柳+沙棘—鹅观草群落＞柽柳—鹅绒委陵菜群落＞柽柳—芦苇群落＞芦苇+水蓼+莎草群落＞芦苇+苔草群落＞百里香+铁杆蒿群落＞香蒲+水蓼群落＞水葱+轮藻+眼子菜群落＞藨草+莎草+泽泻群落＞水葱+藨草+芦苇群落＞狐尾藻+香蒲群落＞慈姑+芦苇群落＞水蓼+慈姑群落＞水莎草+水稗群落。对12种多样性指数进行比较后发现,R₀、H′和E₄优于其他指数。     

高寒内陆河流域植被覆盖增加对地下水补给的影响

地下水是干旱区内陆河流域的主要基础性资源,对流域生态安全、可持续发展等具有重要意义。干旱/半干旱区的地下水补给比湿润地区更易受到地表覆盖条件的影响。为揭示干旱区内陆河流域植被覆盖增加对地下水补给的影响,以巴音河中下游为例,针对土壤和水评价工具(SWAT)模型未有效考虑降水、地形等因素对植被覆盖影响的缺陷,改进SWAT模型,采用全球地表卫星叶面积指数(GLASS LAI)数据代替其LAI计算模块,再结合SWAT土地利用更新模块,准确刻画区域植被覆盖变化。将改进后的SWAT模型与模块化有限拆分地下水流耦合(MODFLOW)模型耦合,准确模拟并分析植被覆盖增加对流域地下水补给的影响。结果表明：基于植被动态变化的土壤和水评价工具与模块化有限拆分地下水流耦合模型(DVSWAT-MODFLOW)模型的月蒸散发及月地下水位模拟效果较好;巴音河中下游2019年林地及草地面积以及LAI较2001年明显增加;2019年植被覆盖情况对应的年际及月际尺度地下水补给量较2001年分别减少了6.1—26.52 mm以及0—15.03 mm;植被覆盖增加对年际尺度地下水补给量的影响强弱在一定程度上取决于年降水量,对...     

Nutritional differences and leaf acclimation of climbing plants and the associated vegetation in different types of an Andean montane rainforest

Climbing plants are known to play an important role in tropical forest systems, but key features for their distribution are only partly understood. Investigation was carried out to find if climbers differ from self-supporting vegetation in their adjustment of leaf parameters over a wide variety of light regimes in different forest types along an altitudinal gradient. Relative photon flux density (PFD_rel) was assessed above 75 pairs of strictly linked climbers and supporting vegetation on seven plots between 2,020 and 2,700 m a.s.l. along a mountain range in South-Ecuador up to the Páramo vegetation. Leaf samples from both growth forms were analyzed for leaf area (LA), specific leaf mass (LMA), mass and area-based carbon and nitrogen concentration (C, C_area, N, and N_area) and concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn and Al. Leaf size of climbers was independent of general light condition, whereas the leaf size of the self-supporting vegetation increased in shade. LMA increased as expected with altitude and irradiance for both growth forms, but climbers generally built smaller leaves with lower LMA. N, P, and K concentrations were higher in the leaves of climbers than in their supporters. Relationships of LMA and N_area to the light conditions were more pronounced within the climbers than within their supporters. Slope for the regression between climber’s N_area and LMA was twice as steep as for the supporter leaves. Al accumulators were only found within the self-supporting vegetation. The investigated traits indicate improved adjustment towards light supply within climbers compared to self-supporting vegetation. Thus climbing plants seem to have a higher potential trade off in resource-use efficiency regarding irradiance and nutrients.     

基于SPOT-VGT NDVI的陕北植被覆盖时空变化

利用1998-2010年SPOT-VGT NDVI影像对陕北地区植被的时空变化进行分析.结果表明:研究期间,陕北地区归一化植被指数(NDVI)的季相变化明显,月均最高值出现在8月、最小值出现在1月,月均值的变化幅度在0.14 ～0.46,NDVI月均值为0.28,其年均值总体呈上升趋势;在空间上,植被改善地区集中于陕北中南部,生态环境退化区域集中在长城以北风沙区;气温和降水是影响植被变化的重要气候因子,其与NDVI变化的相关系数分别为0.72和0.58;植被改善明显的区域主要位于坡度15° ～25°的地区,反映出国家退耕还林还草工程对陕北地区生态环境的恢复和改善起到了巨大作用.     

基于SPOT-VEGETATION数据的神农架林区1998-2013年植被覆盖度格局变化

基于1998-2013年的SPOT-VEGETATION归一化植被指数（normalized differential vegetation index,NDVI）数据,利用二分模型法、相关性分析和空间分析的方法,结合同期降水量和平均温度数据,估算了神农架林区及神农架国家级自然保护区的植被覆盖度,并分析了空间格局及植被覆盖度变化的影响因素。结果表明,1998-2013年间,神农架林区平均植被覆盖度为66.8%,年最大植被覆盖度为93.8%,保护区内最大植被覆盖度显著高于保护区外;林区植被覆盖度变化率为1.45%,保护区植被覆盖度变化率为2.26%,植被整体呈增加的趋势,保护区保护效果较好。温度、降水量、年最低气温、距道路和居民地距离的远近是影响植被覆盖度变化的重要因子,而海拔对植被覆盖度变化无影响。