Remote sensing variables as predictors of habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling mammal living in a desert environment

Identifying high-quality habitats across large areas is a central goal in biodiversity conservation. Remotely sensed data provide the opportunity to study different habitat characteristics (e.g., landscape topography, soil, vegetation cover, climatic factors) that are difficult to identify at high s...

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Publicado: 2015
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Acceso en línea:https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_21992401_v60_n2_p117_Campos
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_21992401_v60_n2_p117_Campos
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spelling paper:paper_21992401_v60_n2_p117_Campos2023-06-08T16:35:10Z Remote sensing variables as predictors of habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling mammal living in a desert environment Desert ecosystem Habitat selection Image texture Rocky habitat Soil Adjusted Total Vegetation Index Viscacha rat Mammalia Octomys mimax Identifying high-quality habitats across large areas is a central goal in biodiversity conservation. Remotely sensed data provide the opportunity to study different habitat characteristics (e.g., landscape topography, soil, vegetation cover, climatic factors) that are difficult to identify at high spatial and temporal resolution on the basis of field studies. Our goal was to evaluate the applicability of remotely sensed information as a potential tool for modeling habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling species that lives in a desert ecosystem. We fitted models considering raw indices (i.e., green indices, Brightness Index (BI) and temperature) and their derived texture measures on locations used by and available for the viscacha rat. The habitat preferences identified in our models are consistent with results of field studies of landscape use by the viscacha rat. Rocky habitats were well differentiated by the second-order contrast of BI, instead of BI only, making an important contribution to the global model by capturing the heterogeneity of the substratum. Furthermore, rocky habitats are able to maintain more vegetation than much of the surrounding desert; hence, their availability might be estimated using SATVI (Soil Adjusted Total Vegetation Index) and its derived texture measures: second-order contrast and entropy. This is the first study that evaluates the usefulness of remotely sensed data for predicting and mapping habitat suitability for a small-bodied rock dwelling species in a desert environment. Our results may contribute to conservation efforts focused on these habitat specialist species by using good predictors of habitat quality. © 2015, Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland. 2015 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_21992401_v60_n2_p117_Campos http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_21992401_v60_n2_p117_Campos
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Desert ecosystem
Habitat selection
Image texture
Rocky habitat
Soil Adjusted Total Vegetation Index
Viscacha rat
Mammalia
Octomys mimax
spellingShingle Desert ecosystem
Habitat selection
Image texture
Rocky habitat
Soil Adjusted Total Vegetation Index
Viscacha rat
Mammalia
Octomys mimax
Remote sensing variables as predictors of habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling mammal living in a desert environment
topic_facet Desert ecosystem
Habitat selection
Image texture
Rocky habitat
Soil Adjusted Total Vegetation Index
Viscacha rat
Mammalia
Octomys mimax
description Identifying high-quality habitats across large areas is a central goal in biodiversity conservation. Remotely sensed data provide the opportunity to study different habitat characteristics (e.g., landscape topography, soil, vegetation cover, climatic factors) that are difficult to identify at high spatial and temporal resolution on the basis of field studies. Our goal was to evaluate the applicability of remotely sensed information as a potential tool for modeling habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling species that lives in a desert ecosystem. We fitted models considering raw indices (i.e., green indices, Brightness Index (BI) and temperature) and their derived texture measures on locations used by and available for the viscacha rat. The habitat preferences identified in our models are consistent with results of field studies of landscape use by the viscacha rat. Rocky habitats were well differentiated by the second-order contrast of BI, instead of BI only, making an important contribution to the global model by capturing the heterogeneity of the substratum. Furthermore, rocky habitats are able to maintain more vegetation than much of the surrounding desert; hence, their availability might be estimated using SATVI (Soil Adjusted Total Vegetation Index) and its derived texture measures: second-order contrast and entropy. This is the first study that evaluates the usefulness of remotely sensed data for predicting and mapping habitat suitability for a small-bodied rock dwelling species in a desert environment. Our results may contribute to conservation efforts focused on these habitat specialist species by using good predictors of habitat quality. © 2015, Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland.
title Remote sensing variables as predictors of habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling mammal living in a desert environment
title_short Remote sensing variables as predictors of habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling mammal living in a desert environment
title_full Remote sensing variables as predictors of habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling mammal living in a desert environment
title_fullStr Remote sensing variables as predictors of habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling mammal living in a desert environment
title_full_unstemmed Remote sensing variables as predictors of habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (Octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling mammal living in a desert environment
title_sort remote sensing variables as predictors of habitat suitability of the viscacha rat (octomys mimax), a rock-dwelling mammal living in a desert environment
publishDate 2015
url https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_21992401_v60_n2_p117_Campos
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_21992401_v60_n2_p117_Campos
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