ANIMAL HABITAT QUALITY AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING: EXPLORING SEASONAL PATTERNS USING NDVI

摘要: Many animal species have developed specific evolutionary adaptations to survive prolonged periods of low energy availability that characterize seasonal environments. The course primary production, a major aspect ecosystem functioning, should therefore be an important factor determining the habitat quality such species. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing relationship between and functioning for brown bears (Ursus arctos), showing hyperphagia hibernation as adaptation peaks bottlenecks in productivity, respectively. Our unique long-term data set comprised from two bear populations northern Spain on historical presence, current reproduction. were classified grid 5 3 km pixels into five classes: frequent reproduction, sporadic recent extinction. used long- term average NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) proxy investigated with methods borrowed statistical point-pattern analysis. found indeed selected (i.e., variance all classes was smaller than landscape overall) ordered. First, distance larger if larger. Second, which there greatest need breeding habitat) occupied narrowest niche regarding showed most pronounced seasonality. Progressively poorer wider niches partly overlapped those better classes. This indicated nonbreeding animals are less selective. methodology provided new insight could widely applied living Because continuously collected, our allows continuous monitoring changes due global change.