Unveiling Scale-Dependent Elevational Patterns and Drivers of Tree β Diversity on a Subtropical Mountain Using Sentinel-2 Remote Sensing Data

作者：Zhang Ruyun, Jingyue Huang, Yongchao Liu, Xiaoning Wang, You Li, Yulin Zeng, Pengcheng Liu, Xiaoran Wang, Zhaochen Zhang, Jian Zhang, Dingliang Xing · 发表于：Forests · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/f16060917 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies、Species Distribution and Climate Change、Rangeland and Wildlife Management

The elevational patterns of plant β diversity and their underlying drivers are known to be scale-dependent, but pinpointing the spatial scales at which different ecological processes occur remains challenging using traditional field inventory methods. Remote sensing has emerged as a promising alternative, providing continuous spatial data for monitoring plant diversity. In this study, we used field inventory data and corresponding Sentinel-2 images from a subtropical mountain to simulate pooled assemblages and assess the potential of using multispectral satellite images in predicting tree β diversity. We further examined the scale-dependent elevational gradient of the spectral β diversity and identified primary topographic variables across different spatial extents (0.16–64 ha). The spectral β diversity showed a consistently positive relationship with the inventory β diversity calculated using various indices (average pairwise Sørensen, Jaccard, and Bray–Curtis dissimilarities, as well as multi-community differentiation measures based on Hill numbers), with the strongest correlation observed for abundance-weighted indices and images from early spring and late autumn (R2max = 0.63). However, a null model-derived β deviation showed only a weak correlation between remote sensing and field-based measures. A declining trend in the spectral β diversity with an increasing elevation was observed and became more pronounced at larger extents. The topographic heterogeneity, represented ...