Assessment of the effects of biophysical and anthropogenic factors on woody plant encroachment in dense and sparse mountain grasslands based on remote sensing data

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
This study assessed woody plant encroachment below potential tree line in the Central Pyrenees of Spain and the association of this encroachment with changes in land use. Remote sensing data from Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) from the mid-1980s and mid-2000s were analyzed by supervised classification for identification of land cover types. The transition matrix indicated that shrublands were the most dynamic plant communities. Generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) were used to identify biophysical and anthropogenic factors that were significantly correlated with woody plant encroachment of dense and sparse grasslands. Distance to the nearest woody plant habitat (shrub or forest) was the most strongly correlated factor with woody plant encroachment of both types of grassland. This factor explained 69% and 71% of the variance in models of dense and sparse grasslands, respectively. The observed changes in land cover indicated that land cover has become more homogeneous.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Progress in physical geography, issn : 0309-1333, 2014, vol. 38, n°. 2, p. 201-217, nombre de pages : 17, Références bibliographiques : 3 p.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, London, Sage Publications