Advances in Microclimate Ecology Arising from Remote Sensing

Florian Zellweger; Pieter De Frenne; Jonathan Lenoir; Duccio Rocchini; David Coomes

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2018.12.012

Advances in Microclimate Ecology Arising from Remote Sensing

Trends Ecol Evol. 2019 Apr;34(4):327-341. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.12.012. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Authors

Florian Zellweger¹, Pieter De Frenne², Jonathan Lenoir³, Duccio Rocchini⁴, David Coomes⁵

Affiliations

¹ Forest Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Forest and Nature Lab, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, BE 9090 Gontrode, Belgium.
³ Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN), Unité Mixte de Recherche 7058 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 1 Rue des Louvels, 80037 Amiens CEDEX 1, France.
⁴ University of Trento, Center Agriculture Food Environment - C3A, Via Edmund Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige (TN), Italy; University of Trento, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Povo, TN, Italy; Fondazione Edmund Mach, Research and Innovation Centre, Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Via Edmund Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy.
⁵ Forest Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 30651180
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.12.012

Abstract

Microclimates at the land-air interface affect the physiological functioning of organisms which, in turn, influences the structure, composition, and functioning of ecosystems. We review how remote sensing technologies that deliver detailed data about the structure and thermal composition of environments are improving the assessment of microclimate over space and time. Mapping landscape-level heterogeneity of microclimate advances our ability to study how organisms respond to climate variation, which has important implications for understanding climate-change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems. Interpolating in situ microclimate measurements and downscaling macroclimate provides an organism-centered perspective for studying climate-species interactions and species distribution dynamics. We envisage that mapping of microclimate will soon become commonplace, enabling more reliable predictions of species and ecosystem responses to global change.

Keywords: LiDAR; biodiversity; climate change ecology; light detection and ranging; thermal imaging; topography; vegetation cover.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Biodiversity
Climate Change
Ecology
Ecosystem*
Microclimate*
Remote Sensing Technology