RT Journal Article
T1 Sentinel 2 images enable reliable prediction of fine-scale habitat dynamics of narrow endemic plant species in serpentine soils
A1 Ponce Fontenla, Sara
A1 Serrano Pérez, Luis Miguel
A1 Carballal, Roi
A1 Regos Sanz, Adrián
K1 Armeria merinoi
K1 Fine-scale habitat mapping and modelling
K1 Leucanthemum gallaecicum
K1 Model-based endemic plant monitoring
K1 Remotely sensed ecosystem functioning attributes (RS-EFAs)
K1 Santolina melidensis
K1 Serpentine hotspot
AB Aims: Serpentine soils  are rare   globally, covering <1%   of  the   land   surface, but   frequently harbouring large    numbers of  narrow endemic species. Many    serpentine areas are  endangered and   would    benefit from   actions informed by  species distribution models   (SDMs). Here,    we   assessed, for   the   first   time,    the   potential use   of  remotely sensed descriptors of  water    and   carbon cycles     derived from    Copernicus Sentinel 2  images for  fine-scale   habitat    characterization and  mapping of  narrow    endemic serpentine-tolerant species.Location: We   focused on   three    endemic species with    a  very    limited distribution in the  Serra    de  Careón ultramafic outcrop, a  regional plant    biodiversity hotspot in  Spain.Methods: We   developed SDMs    based    solely    on  remotely sensed descriptors of  plant water    content and   habitat dynamics estimated from    multitemporal Sentinel 2  images.Results: The   predictive capacity of  the   models was   very   high   (area    under    the   receiver operating characteristic curve   (AUC)    >  0.9,   sensitivity> 90   and   specificity>  84),   even   for   projections beyond the   range    of  data   used    for   calibration (AUC >  0.8,   sensitivity> 77   and   specificity> 81).    Overall, the  suitable habitat areas    predicted by  the  modelswere    similar for   all  three    species (Schoener’s D  metric >  0.7).   The  annual    mean   and  coefficient of  variation of  the   Normalized Difference of  Water    Index    provided a  good representation of  the   hydromorphic soils    with    serpentine clay   minerals and   characterized by  the   formation of  temporary pools    during     winter     months. The   annual mean and  coefficient of  variation of  the  Modified Soil  Adjusted Vegetation Index    were   also   important predictors owing to their capacity to capture the serpentine habitat conditions, characterized by open vegetation and highly exposed soil.Conclusions: These    findings confirm the   potential of  ecosystem functioning descrip-tors   derived from    spectral Sentinel 2  indices as  a  cost- effective means     of  characterizing    the   ecological niche    of  endemic plant    species in  serpentine habitats and   as  a promising tool to support their conservation and monitoring
PB Wiley
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/29133
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/29133
LA eng
NO Ponce-Fontenla,	S.,	Serrano,	M.,	Carballal,	R.	&	Regos,	A.	(2021)	Sentinel	2	images	enable	reliable	prediction	of	fine-	scale	habitat	dynamics	of	narrow	endemic plant species in serpentine soils. Applied Vegetation Science, 24, e12614
NO The authors acknowledge the collaboration of the Dirección Xeral de Patrimonio Natural, Xunta de Galicia, for providing some of the Armeria merinoi occurrence data used. The Santolina melidensis and Leucanthemum gallaecicum field surveys were funded by Acciona Construcción in the framework of a recovery plan for the populations of these species affected by construction of the A-54 motorway.  MS, RC and AR received financial support from the Xunta de Galicia (ED431B 2018/36). AR was funded by the Xunta de Galicia (ED481B2016/084-0)
DS Minerva
RD 23 abr 2026