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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/10174/27677
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Title: | Predicting Microhabitat Suitability for an Endangered Small Mammal Using Sentinel-2 Data |
Authors: | Valerio, Francesco Ferreira, Eduardo Godinho, Sérgio Pita, Ricardo Mira, António Fernandes, Nelson Santos, Sara M. |
Keywords: | remote sensing species distribution models wildlife conservation Cabrera vole |
Issue Date: | Feb-2020 |
Publisher: | mdpi |
Citation: | Valerio, F., Ferreira, E., Godinho, S., Pita, R., Mira, A., Fernandes, N., Santos, S.M. Predicting Microhabitat Suitability for an Endangered Small Mammal using Sentinel-2 Data. Remote Sensing (2020). doi:10.3390/rs12030562 |
Abstract: | Accurate mapping is a main challenge for endangered small-sized terrestrial species.
Freely available spatio-temporal data at high resolution from multispectral satellite offer excellent
opportunities for improving predictive distribution models of such species based on fine-scale
habitat features, thus making it easier to achieve comprehensive biodiversity conservation goals.
However, there are still few examples showing the utility of remote-sensing-based products in
mapping microhabitat suitability for small species of conservation concern. Here, we address this
issue using Sentinel-2 sensor-derived habitat variables, used in combination with more commonly
used explanatory variables (e.g., topography), to predict the distribution of the endangered Cabrera
vole (Microtus cabrerae) in agrosilvopastorial systems. Based on vole surveys conducted in two
different seasons over a ~176,000 ha landscape in Southern Portugal, we assessed the significance of
each predictor in explaining Cabrera vole occurrence using the Boruta algorithm, a novel Random
forest variant for dealing with high dimensionality of explanatory variables. Overall, results showed
a strong contribution of Sentinel-2-derived variables for predicting microhabitat suitability of Cabrera
voles. In particular, we found that photosynthetic activity (NDI45), specific spectral signal (SWIR1),
and landscape heterogeneity (Rao’s Q) were good proxies of Cabrera voles’ microhabitat, mostly
during temporally greener and wetter conditions. In addition to remote-sensing-based variables,
the presence of road verges was also an important driver of voles’ distribution, highlighting their
potential role as refuges and/or corridors. Overall, our study supports the use of remote-sensing
data to predict microhabitat suitability for endangered small-sized species in marginal areas that
potentially hold most of the biodiversity found in human-dominated landscapes. We believe our
approach can be widely applied to other species, for which detailed habitat mapping over large
spatial extents is difficult to obtain using traditional descriptors. This would certainly contribute to
improving conservation planning, thereby contributing to global conservation efforts in landscapes
that are managed for multiple purposes. |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/10174/27677 |
Type: | article |
Appears in Collections: | BIO - Publicações - Artigos em Revistas Internacionais Com Arbitragem Científica
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