Abstract ID: 594

Modeling vegetation dynamics, fire, and bird habitat in campina patches in the Madeira-Purus interfluve

Patches of savanna-like vegetation, scattered like ‘islands’ in a sea of forest, contribute to regional-scale diversity in the Amazon basin. A complex of these ‘Amazonian campos’, or ‘campina’ patches is a distinctive feature of the interfluve area of the Madeira and Purus Rivers. Characterized by open vegetation and sandy soil, they host unique species, which are adapted to extreme conditions of nutrient paucity, fire, and prolonged soil saturation. Some of these patches were surveyed during a recent (2007) GEOMA expedition to inventory biodiversity within the interfluve. Because many areas have not been visited, we used Landsat imagery, combined with field data collected during several expeditions, to model vegetation dynamics and bird habitat throughout the campina complex. Ground truth data consisted of information on vegetation structure and composition, and bird location records. We distinguished four distinct classes of open savanna-like vegetation, and two edge classes. A change detection model showed change in vegetation classes over approximately twenty years, with some patches showing much more dramatic changes than others. Analysis of remotely-sensed ‘hot pixels’, combined with field observations, suggests correlation between fire frequency and habitat change. As planned development projects are completed within the interfluve, these areas will likely be subject to greater fire frequencies; this research provides a starting point to understand possible consequences for biodiversity.

Session:  Biodiversity - Modeling biodiversity, present and future.

Presentation Type:  Poster