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Creating vegetation density profiles for a diverse range of ecological habitats using terrestrial laser scanning

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1. Vegetation structure is an important determinant of species habitats and diversity. It is often represented by
simple metrics, such as canopy cover, height and leaf area index, which do not fully capture three-dimensional
variations in density. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is a technology that can better capture vegetation structure,
but methods developed to process scans have been biased towards forestry applications. The aim of this study
was to develop a methodology for processing TLS data to produce vegetation density profiles across a broader
range of habitats.
2. We performed low-resolution and medium-resolution TLS scans using a Leica C5 Scanstation at four locations
within eight sites near Wollongong, NSW, Australia (34
38–34
41°S, 150
84–150
91°E). The raw point
clouds were converted to density profiles using a method that corrected for uneven ground surfaces, varying
point density due to beam divergence and occlusion, the non-vertical nature of most beams and for beams that
passed through gaps in the vegetation without generating a point. Density profiles were evaluated against visual
estimates from three independent observers using coarse height classes (e.g. 5–10 m).
3. TLS produced density profiles that captured the three-dimensional vegetation structure. Although sites were
selected to differ in structure, each was relatively homogeneous, yet we still found a high spatial variation in density profiles. There was also large variation between observers, with the RMS error of the three observers relative to the TLS varying from 16
2% to 32
1%. Part of this error appeared to be due tomisjudging the height of vegetation,which caused an overestimation in one height class and anunderestimationinanother.
4. Our method for generating density profiles using TLS can capture three-dimensional vegetation structure in a
manner that is more detailed and less subjective than traditionalmethods. The method can be applied to a broad
range of habitats – not just forests with open understoreys. However, it cannot accurately estimate near-surface
vegetation density when there are uneven surfaces or dense vegetation prevents sufficient ground returns. Nonetheless,TLS density profiles will be an important input for research on species habitats, microclimates and
nutrient cycles.

Key-words: canopy cover, habitat heterogeneity, leaf area index, LIDAR, TLS, vegetation structure

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Ketersediaan

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Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

Methods in Ecology and Evolution

No. Panggil

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Penerbit

: British Ecological Society., 2014

Deskripsi Fisik

Methods in Ecology and Evolution 2014, 5, 263–272

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

doi: 10.1111/2041-21

Klasifikasi

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Tipe Isi

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Tipe Media

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Tipe Pembawa

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Edisi

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Subjek

BIOLOGI

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

Wati/Agus

Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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