Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1111/jbi.12781
Volltext Shareable Link
Titel (primär) Assessing relative variable importance across different spatial scales: a two-dimensional wavelet analysis
Autor Carl, G.; Doktor, D.; Schweiger, O.; Kühn, I. ORCID logo
Quelle Journal of Biogeography
Erscheinungsjahr 2016
Department CLE; BZF; iDiv
Band/Volume 43
Heft 12
Seite von 2502
Seite bis 2512
Sprache englisch
Keywords discrete wavelet transform; generalized linear model; multimodel inference; remote-sensing signal; spatial scales; vegetation period
UFZ Querschnittsthemen RU1
Abstract

Aim

Assessing the relationship between a spatial process and environmental variables as a function of spatial scale is a challenging problem. Therefore, there is a need for a valid and reliable tool to examine and evaluate scale dependencies in biogeography, macroecology and other earth sciences.

Location

Central Europe (latitude 43.99°–54.22° N, longitude 4.79°–15.02° E).

Methods

We present a method for applying two-dimensional wavelet analysis to a generalized linear model. This scale-specific regression is combined with a multimodel inference approach evaluating the relative importance of several environmental variables across different spatial scales. We apply this method to data of climate, topographic and land cover variables to explain variation in annual greening of vegetation (i.e. phenology) in Central Europe.

Results

Land use is more important to explain the variation in greening than climate at smaller resolution while climate is more important at larger resolution with a shift at c. 1000 km2.

Main conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study analysing the scale dependency of an ecosystem process, clearly distinguishing between the different components of scale, namely grain, focus and extent. The obtained results demonstrate that our newly proposed method is particularly suitable for studying scale dependencies of various spatial processes on environmental drivers keeping grain and extent constant and changing focus (i.e. resolution).

dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=17555
Carl, G., Doktor, D., Schweiger, O., Kühn, I. (2016):
Assessing relative variable importance across different spatial scales: a two-dimensional wavelet analysis
J. Biogeogr. 43 (12), 2502 - 2512 10.1111/jbi.12781