Journal de la biodiversité et des espèces menacées

Pixel-Based Methods for Remote Sensing Mapping of Forest Functional Characteristics and Diversity

Abstract

Zhouxia Chen*

Research on plant ecology and biodiversity has increasingly used trait-based methods and remote sensing. Remote sensing permits assessing functional qualities over vast contiguous areas, in contrast to traditional field survey (which often samples individual trees), but assigns trait values to biological units like as Using pixel-based techniques is challenging for both species and individuals. We compared a pixel-based method with a technique based on aerial LiDAR-delineated individual tree crowns (ITCs) for evaluating functional features from remote sensing data in a subtropical forest setting in China. As pixel size and extent varied, we examined the trait distributions, trait-trait correlations, and functional diversity metrics produced using the ITC- and pixel-based techniques. We discovered that physiological differences between ITC- and pixel-based techniques were overshadowed by variations in morphological features determined from airborne laser scanning.