Application of spatial statistic in assessing canopy cover variation of rangeland plant species of sheep fescue

Subject Areas : forest

amir hoseim kavian por ¹ ( Ph.D Student of Range Management, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran )
ardavan ghorbani ² ( Assistant Professor, Dept. of Range and watershed Management, Faculty of Agricultural Technology and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran )
gholam ali heshmati ³ ( Profesor, Dept. of Range and watershed Management; Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran )

Received: 2013-08-14 Accepted : 2014-07-10 Published : 2014-10-23

Keywords: Festuca ovina, IDW, Canopy cover changes, spatial statistic, Kriging,

Abstract :

According to the continuous changes in natural ecosystems, particularly rangelands, and variety of affecting factors and the cost of direct measurement, the application of new techniques in different studies is necessary. In this study the capability of spatial statistical techniques in the assessment of canopy cover variation of Festuca ovina L. species was investigated. Canopy cover was recorded using plots at 45 sites. Then Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) and Kriging were used for interpolating and estimating of F. ovina canopy cover using GS+5 and ArcGIS10. Results showed that the best variogram was exponential, and simple and ordinary Kriging were the best interpolation methods in comparison with the other methods according to the results maps accuracy assessments. Effective range of F.ovina canopy cover (48300 meter) is close to some chemical and physical soil properties including, acidity in the second depth (51500m), and organic matter in the second depth (47710m), clay in the first depth and sand in the first and second depths (49400m). Spatial variability of mentioned soil characteristics have affected the percentage of F. ovina canopy cover and at the distance greater than effective range, samples have no spatial dependence. To investigate the relationships between mentioned soil characteristics and canopy cover of F. ovina, and the optimal sampling interval can be considered between 47710 to 49400 meters. Results of this study show that spatial statistic can be used for evaluating canopy cover of rangeland species variability.

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