Articles | Volume 20, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2769-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2769-2023
Research article
 | 
14 Jul 2023
Research article |  | 14 Jul 2023

Quantifying vegetation indices using terrestrial laser scanning: methodological complexities and ecological insights from a Mediterranean forest

William Rupert Moore Flynn, Harry Jon Foord Owen, Stuart William David Grieve, and Emily Rebecca Lines

Related authors

The CAIRN method: automated, reproducible calculation of catchment-averaged denudation rates from cosmogenic nuclide concentrations
Simon Marius Mudd, Marie-Alice Harel, Martin D. Hurst, Stuart W. D. Grieve, and Shasta M. Marrero
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 655–674, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-655-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-655-2016, 2016
Short summary
How does grid-resolution modulate the topographic expression of geomorphic processes?
Stuart W. D. Grieve, Simon M. Mudd, David T. Milodowski, Fiona J. Clubb, and David J. Furbish
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 627–653, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-627-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-627-2016, 2016
Short summary
A nondimensional framework for exploring the relief structure of landscapes
Stuart W. D. Grieve, Simon M. Mudd, Martin D. Hurst, and David T. Milodowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 309–325, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-309-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-309-2016, 2016
Short summary

Related subject area

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function: Terrestrial
Linking geomorphological processes and wildlife microhabitat selection: nesting birds select refuges generated by permafrost degradation in the Arctic
Madeleine-Zoé Corbeil-Robitaille, Éliane Duchesne, Daniel Fortier, Christophe Kinnard, and Joël Bêty
Biogeosciences, 21, 3401–3423, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3401-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3401-2024, 2024
Short summary
Distinguishing mature and immature trees allows estimating forest carbon uptake from stand structure
Samuel M. Fischer, Xugao Wang, and Andreas Huth
Biogeosciences, 21, 3305–3319, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3305-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3305-2024, 2024
Short summary
“Blooming” of litter-mixing effects: the role of flower and leaf litter interactions on decomposition in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
Mery Ingrid Guimarães de Alencar, Rafael D. Guariento, Bertrand Guenet, Luciana S. Carneiro, Eduardo L. Voigt, and Adriano Caliman
Biogeosciences, 21, 3165–3182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3165-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3165-2024, 2024
Short summary
From simple labels to semantic image segmentation: leveraging citizen science plant photographs for tree species mapping in drone imagery
Salim Soltani, Olga Ferlian, Nico Eisenhauer, Hannes Feilhauer, and Teja Kattenborn
Biogeosciences, 21, 2909–2935, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2909-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2909-2024, 2024
Short summary
Plant functional traits modulate the effects of soil acidification on above- and belowground biomass
Xue Feng, Ruzhen Wang, Tianpeng Li, Jiangping Cai, Heyong Liu, Hui Li, and Yong Jiang
Biogeosciences, 21, 2641–2653, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2641-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2641-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

Baret, F., Weiss, M., Lacaze, R., Camacho, F., Makhmara, H., Pacholcyzk, P., and Smets, B.: GEOV1: LAI and FAPAR essential climate variables and FCOVER global time series capitalizing over existing products. Part 1: Principles of development and production, Remote Sens. Environ., 137, 299–309, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2012.12.027, 2013. 
Bates, D., Mächler, M., Bolker, B., and Walker, S.: Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4, J. Sat. Softw., 67, 1–48, https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v067.i01, 2015. 
Battaglia, M., Cherry, M. L., Beadle, C. L., Sands, P. J., and Hingston, A.: Prediction of leaf area index in eucalypt plantations: effects of water stress and temperature, Tree Physiol., 18, 521–528, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/18.8-9.521, 1998. 
Beaudet, M. and Messier, C.: Growth and morphological responses of yellow birch, sugar maple, and beech seedlings growing under a natural light gradient, Can. J. Forest Res., 28, 1007–1015, https://doi.org/10.1139/x98-077, 1998. 
Download
Short summary
Quantifying vegetation indices is crucial for ecosystem monitoring and modelling. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has potential to accurately measure vegetation indices, but multiple methods exist, with little consensus on best practice. We compare three methods and extract wood-to-plant ratio, a metric used to correct for wood in leaf indices. We show corrective metrics vary with tree structure and variation among methods, highlighting the value of TLS data and importance of rigorous testing.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint