Doctoral Dissertation Research: Applying Bathymetric LiDAR to Advance Marine Landscape Ecology in the Third Dimension

由于直接与人类有关的压力和气候变化，全球珊瑚礁的退化正在加速。 为了保护这些生态系统，科学家和管理人员正在探索新的方法来解决沿海资源面临的问题。 其中一个框架是新兴的海洋景观生态学跨学科方法。虽然大多数景观生态学研究都在两个方面量化了自然环境，但三维结构是有据可查的，是影响海洋领域，特别是珊瑚礁环境中群落结构的一个重要因素。 这个博士论文研究项目将使用测深LiDAR（光探测和测距）的遥感数据来量化夏威夷主要岛屿旁边多个空间尺度的珊瑚礁环境的三维结构。 将采用基于地理信息系统的方法，根据生态上界定的珊瑚礁鱼类群体，确定适当的分析规模。 激光雷达衍生的海景指标和珊瑚礁鱼类组合结构，如丰度，多样性和生物量的测量之间的关系进行评估，开发一套生态相关的三维海景指标，以支持海洋鱼类组合的建模。 激光雷达衍生的指标，然后将被用来产生在夏威夷群岛的主要鱼类组合结构的预测地图。 本研究的结果将为海洋景观生态学理论在理解海洋格局和过程之间的联系提供关键的一步。 它们将推进鱼类组合的空间预测建模;展示测深激光雷达技术的新应用;并对海洋保护区设计理论具有重要意义。景观生态学向海洋领域的扩展代表了对理论和应用的重要贡献。 使用测深激光雷达数据将促进对海洋景观格局与生态过程之间的联系的理解，使其达到第三个层面。 这一项目将是最早采用景观生态方法的项目之一，以促进对太平洋珊瑚礁的功能和生态过程以及这些过程运作的规模的基本了解。 珊瑚礁鱼类在夏威夷和其他热带地区人民的经济、文化和生活方式中起着至关重要的作用，这项研究将对珊瑚礁管理产生重大影响。 鱼类丰度，多样性和生物量的预测地图产品可用于确定关键的栖息地，评估目前的海洋保护区（MPA），也可应用于支持未来的最佳位置在夏威夷的海洋保护区。与夏威夷的州和联邦方案办公室建立了伙伴关系，以确保研究成果将纳入多个层面的海洋政策。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立的研究生涯。

The global degradation of coral reefs is accelerating as a result of direct human-related stresses and climate change. To preserve these ecosystems, scientists and managers are exploring new ways to address the issues facing coastal resources. One such framework is the emerging transdisciplinary approach of marine landscape ecology. While most landscape ecological studies have quantified the natural environment in two dimensions, three-dimensional structure is well documented to be an important factor affecting community structure in the marine realm, particularly in coral reef environments. This doctoral dissertation research project will use remotely sensed data from bathymetric LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to quantify the three-dimensional structure of coral reef environments at multiple spatial scales beside the main Hawaiian Islands. A geographic information system-based approach will be used to characterize the appropriate scale of analysis based on ecologically defined groups of coral reef fishes. The relationship between LiDAR-derived seascape metrics and measurements of coral reef fish assemblage structure, such as abundance, diversity, and biomass, will be evaluated to develop a suite of ecologically relevant three-dimensional seascape metrics to support modeling of marine fish assemblages. The LiDAR-derived metrics then will be used to produce predictive maps of fish assemblage structure in the main Hawaiian Islands. The results of this research will provide a critical step for marine landscape ecology theory in understanding the link between pattern and process in the ocean. They will advance spatially predictive modeling of fish assemblages; demonstrate a new application of bathymetric LiDAR technology; and have significant implications for marine protected area design theory.The extension of landscape ecology to the marine realm represents an important contribution to both theory and application. The use of bathymetric LiDAR data will advance the understanding of the linkages between marine landscape patterns and ecological processes to the third dimension. This project will be one of the first to apply a landscape ecological approach to advance basic understanding of the functional and ecological processes on Pacific coral reefs and the scales at which these processes operate. Coral reef fishes play a vital role in the economy, culture and lifestyle of the people in Hawaii and other tropical areas, and this research will have major implications for coral reef management. The predictive map products of fish abundance, diversity, and biomass may be used to identify critical habitat, evaluate current marine protected areas (MPAs) and also be applied to support the best placement of future MPAs in Hawaii. Partnerships with State and Federal program offices in Hawaii have been established to ensure that the research results will be integrated into marine policy at multiple levels. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.