Remote Sensing, Biogeography, and Conservation of Tropical Dry Forests in Pacific Biodiversity Hotspots

太平洋生物多样性热点地区热带干燥森林的遥感、生物地理学和保护

• 批准号: 0455052
• 负责人: Thomas Gillespie
• 金额: $ 6.48万
• 依托单位: University of California-Los Angeles
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-05-01 至 2008-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0455052&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Remote; Sensing; Biogeography; Conservation; Tropical

Tropical dry forests in the Pacific may currently be the world's most endangered forest type and could be ideal for testing a number of remote sensing, biogeographic, and conservation theories associated with extremely fragmented systems. This research project focuses on the biodiversity of woody plants (trees, shrubs, lianas) in five regions that contain tropical dry forest (Philippines, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Hawaii). The primary objectives of this research are to; 1) test the utility of remote sensing methods for predicting patterns of stand and patch species richness over different spatial scales; 2) undertake biogeographic comparisons of floristic composition, natural history characteristics, and forest structure and; 3) determine the conservation status of woody plants in remaining fragments of tropical dry forest in Biodiversity Hotspots of the Pacific. Field data on woody plants will be collected at the stand level using Gentry's transect method and at the patch level using systematic searches at 47 field sites in the largest and highest quality remaining patches of tropical dry forest in each region. Remote sensing using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) imagery will be used to calculate landscape metrics and spectral indices hypothesized to be associated with woody plant species richness. The research project will test theories for predicting patterns of species richness and test a number of hypotheses concerning biogeographic patterns of functional natural history characteristics and forest structure. In particular, this research examines patterns and processes of woody plant species richness, functional natural history characteristics, and structure at local (stand level, patch level), regional (landscape level in each region, the Pacific region), and global (tropical dry forests around the world) spatial scales. Remote sensing methods associated with species richness in tropical dry forest of the Pacific can be undertaken in other under-researched tropical dry forests regions in order to make a first-order approximation for patterns of plant species richness. There is currently no comparative data on species richness, floristic composition, or forest structure for these Pacific region locations. Therefore, research will greatly enhance the knowledge base and infrastructure necessary for the effective conservation of tropical forests. The research will foster collaborative research among international scientists for long-term research programs in tropical dry forest regions and provide natural resources managers in the Philippines, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Hawaii with data and end-products that can be used to make decisions concerning the management of the few remaining fragments of tropical dry forest.

太平洋的热带干燥森林目前可能是世界上最濒危的森林类型，可能是测试与极度分散系统相关的许多遥感，生物地理和保护理论的理想选择。 该研究项目的重点是五个含有热带干燥森林（菲律宾，密歇根州，新喀里多尼亚，斐济和夏威夷）的五个地区的木本植物（树木，灌木，lianas）的生物多样性。 这项研究的主要目标是： 1）测试遥感方法的效用，以预测不同空间尺度上的林分和斑块物种丰富度的模式； 2）进行植物构成，自然历史特征和森林结构的生物地理比较以及； 3）确定木本植物在太平洋生物多样性热点中剩余的热带干燥森林碎片中的保护状态。 木本植物的现场数据将使用Gentry的样带方法在架子水平上收集，并在每个地区的47个野外地点的系统搜索处在斑块水平上收集。 使用先进的太空传播热发射和反射辐射计（Aster）图像的遥感将用于计算景观指标和频谱指数，该指标被认为与木质植物物种丰富度相关。 该研究项目将测试理论，以预测物种丰富度的模式，并检验许多有关功能自然历史特征和森林结构的生物地理模式的假设。 特别是，这项研究研究了木本植物物种丰富度，功能性自然历史特征和结构的模式和过程（站立水平，斑块水平），区域（每个地区，太平洋地区的景观水平）和全球（世界各地的热带干燥森林）空间尺度。 可以在其他研究不足的热带干燥森林地区进行与太平洋热带干燥森林中物种丰富度相关的遥感方法，以便对植物物种丰富度的模式进行一阶近似。 目前尚无有关这些太平洋地区地点的物种丰富度，植物组成或森林结构的比较数据。 因此，研究将大大增强有效保护热带森林所需的知识库和基础设施。 这项研究将促进热带干旱森林地区长期研究计划的国际科学家之间的合作研究，并为菲律宾，麦克罗尼亚，新喀里多尼亚，斐济和夏威夷的自然资源经理提供数据和最终产品，这些数据和最终产品可用于做出有关热带干燥森林余地的管理层的决定。