Lichen cover mapping for caribou ranges in interior
Lichen cover mapping for caribou ranges in interior Alaska and Yukon Matthew J Macander, Eric C Palm, Gerald V Frost, Jim D Herriges, Peter R Nelson, Carl Roland, Kelsey LM Russell, Mike J Suitor, Torsten W Bentzen, Kyle Joly, Scott J Goetz, Mark Hebblewhite What we did We mapped terrestrial lichen over 583, 000 km 2, fully encompassing 10 caribou ranges in Alaska and Yukon, using data from ground plots, aerial and UAV systems, and satellites. We used this map to analyze caribou resource selection. Why it matters Lichens are important forage for caribou whose populations are declining throughout most of North America. Shrub expansion and increased fire frequency from climate warming may decrease lichen abundance in arctic tundra and northern alpine areas, potentially exacerbating caribou population declines. ABo. VE biome shift project
Lichen cover mapping for caribou ranges in interior Alaska and Yukon Approach Map of training and validation data Data Model Training data § Ground plots § UAV imagery § Aerial surveys Product 1 Satellite/geospatial § Landsatdata composites § Elevation, tree cover § Vegetation indices Random forest model 2 Caribou resource selection analysis Lichen cover map § § § Validation dataplots Ground UAV imagery Aerial surveys Aerial imagery Existing lichen cover map 3 ABo. VE biome shift project 4 low Selection probability high
Results Lichen cover mapping for caribou ranges in interior Alaska and Yukon ABo. VE biome shift project Final map: terrestrial lichen cover Our final lichen cover map incorporated extensive field data for model training and validation, and will be useful for understanding trends in lichen abundance and distribution, as well as for caribou research, management and conservation. Validation Our final lichen cover map validated very well overall (RMSE = 8. 2%), and with aerial survey data (RMSE = 9. 2%) and UAV imagery (RMSE = 6. 5%). Caribou selection of lichens Caribou avoided lichen-poor areas and showed stronger selection as lichen cover increased to ~30%, above which selection leveled off
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