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Diversity
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Climate Change: Vegetation Diversity Monitoring
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Climate Change: Vegetation Diversity Monitoring

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity Loss & Dynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 8288

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ahmed Mukalazi Kalumba

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Interests: environmental sustainability; climate change; geospatial application; vegetation dynamics analysis; urban and coastal assessment
Prof. Dr. Celso Augusto Guimarães Santos

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa 58051-900, PB, Brazil
Interests: forest change; droughts and water availability; hydrologic modeling; water resources management; trends; GEE; TRMM products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Manoranjan Mishra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Fakir Mohan University, Vyasa Vihar, Nuapadhi, Balasore 756020, Odisha, India
Interests: shoreline change analysis; coastal forest cover mapping; forest cover and forest fragmentation mapping and coastal vulnerability mapping

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This forthcoming Special Issue of Diversity focuses on Climate Change: Vegetation Diversity Monitoring, provides an understanding of the underlying synergies between climate change and vegetation diversity to ensure global earth-atmosphere system sustainability.

Climate change and vegetation conditions are interconnected and thus influence the functioning of the earth-atmosphere processes. Vegetation underscores ecosystem functioning and therefore, is a vital natural resource regulating climate change impacts. However, climatic factors coupled with human agency interferences have had significant impacts on the current condition and distribution of global vegetation with devastating impacts on livelihood formations, especially for vulnerable communities. Of concern, climate change has aggressively advanced multiple impacts on the vegetation and led to landscape transformations with numerous secondary resultant environmental degradations. Yet, vegetation diversity for centuries has been central to environmental conservation, ecosystem functioning and biodiversity sustainability, and micro-climatic modifications across landscapes. Therefore, vegetation diversity loss presents serious threats to humanity, ecosystem functioning and biodiversity among others. Accordingly, there is a need for Spatio-temporal assessment and monitoring of vegetation conditions under the current changing climate to ensure environmental and ecological diversity protection for sustainable development.

Consequently, the special issue on climate change: vegetation diversity monitoring is intended to capture different case studies across the globe to offer an understanding of the magnitude and scale of climate change impacts on vegetation and its diversity across different regions. Also advances in the modelling and assessment approaches will be highlighted in this special issue. In general, all these are critical to enabling us to understand how vegetation has and will respond to increasing temperatures, further variable rainfall, and rising atmospheric Carbon Dioxide among others to enable planners, conservationists, and policy-makers to design integrated and multidisciplinary approaches to mitigate and bolster adaptation for sustainable ecosystem functioning and human wellbeing.

This Special Issue’s thematic areas include but are not limited to those listed below:

  • Climate change impacts on vegetation;
  • Climate change impacts on vegetation diversity;
  • Vegetation response to climate change;
  • Drought impacts on vegetation cover;
  • Flood impacts on vegetation;
  • Extreme weather: climate-change-induced events’ impact on vegetation;
  • Vegetation species change due to climate change;
  • Vegetation diversity influence on climate change;
  • Spatial modelling of the impact of climate change on vegetation.

Dr. Ahmed Mukalazi Kalumba
Prof. Dr. Celso Augusto Guimarães Santos
Dr. Manoranjan Mishra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • climate change
  • vegetation change/response/diversity
  • vegetation stress
  • vegetation health
  • monitoring/assessment/modeling
  • remote sensing
  • droughts
  • effects of extreme weather events
  • vegetation dynamics

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 18430 KiB  
Article
Climate Change Threatens Barringtonia racemosa: Conservation Insights from a MaxEnt Model
by Yanfang Tan, Xiaohui Tan, Yanping Yu, Xiaping Zeng, Xinquan Xie, Zeting Dong, Yilan Wei, Jinyun Song, Wanxing Li and Fang Liang
Diversity 2024, 16(7), 429; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16070429 - 22 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1712
Abstract
Barringtonia racemosa (L.) Spreng. (Lecythidaceae), a crucial species in mangrove ecosystems, is facing endangerment primarily due to habitat loss. To address this issue, research is imperative to identify suitable conservation habitats for the endangered B. racemosa within mangrove ecosystems. The utilization of the [...] Read more.
Barringtonia racemosa (L.) Spreng. (Lecythidaceae), a crucial species in mangrove ecosystems, is facing endangerment primarily due to habitat loss. To address this issue, research is imperative to identify suitable conservation habitats for the endangered B. racemosa within mangrove ecosystems. The utilization of the optimized Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model has been instrumental in predicting potential suitable regions based on global distribution points and environmental variables under current and future climates conditions. The study revealed that the potential distribution area of B. racemosa closely aligns with its existing range with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) greater than 0.95. The Jackknife, AUC, percent contribution (PC), and permutation importance (PI) tests were employed alongside the optimized MaxEnt model to examine the influence of environmental variables on the distribution of B. racemosa. The primary factors identified as significant predictors of B. racemosa distribution included the average temperature of the ocean surface (Temperature), average salinity of the ocean surface (Salinity), precipitation of the warmest quarter (Bio18), precipitation of the driest month (Bio14), seasonal variation coefficient of temperature (Bio4), and isothermality (Bio3). Currently, the habitat range of B. racemosa is predominantly found in tropical and subtropical coastal regions near the equator. The total suitable habitat area measures 246.03 km2, with high, medium, low, and unsuitable areas covering 3.90 km2, 8.57 km2, 16.94 km2, and 216.63 km2, respectively. These areas represent 1.58%, 3.48%, 6.88%, and 88.05% of the total habitat area, respectively. The potential distribution area of B. racemosa demonstrated significant variations under three climate scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, and SSP585), particularly in Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Both low and high suitable areas experienced a slight increase in distribution. In summary, the research suggests that B. racemosa primarily flourishes in coastal regions of tropical and subtropical areas near the equator, with temperature and precipitation playing a significant role in determining its natural range. This study offers important implications for the preservation and control of B. racemosa amidst habitat degradation and climate change threats. Through a comprehensive understanding of the specific habitat needs of B. racemosa and the implementation of focused conservation measures, efforts can be made to stabilize and rejuvenate its populations in their natural environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change: Vegetation Diversity Monitoring)
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23 pages, 6406 KiB  
Article
Land Use and Land Cover Trends and Their Impact on Streamflow and Sediment Yield in a Humid Basin of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest Biome
by Jussara Freire de Souza Viana, Suzana Maria Gico Lima Montenegro, Raghavan Srinivasan, Celso Augusto Guimarães Santos, Manoranjan Mishra, Ahmed Mukalazi Kalumba and Richarde Marques da Silva
Diversity 2023, 15(12), 1220; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15121220 - 16 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2042
Abstract
Understanding the trends in land use and land cover (LULC) is crucial for modeling streamflow and sediment yield, particularly in hydrological basins. This study examined the impact of LULC on the dynamics of streamflow and sediment yield within a humid tropical basin of [...] Read more.
Understanding the trends in land use and land cover (LULC) is crucial for modeling streamflow and sediment yield, particularly in hydrological basins. This study examined the impact of LULC on the dynamics of streamflow and sediment yield within a humid tropical basin of the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil, focusing on the period from 2000 to 2016. Changes in LULC were analyzed using annual MapBiomas data products for the same period. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was deployed to simulate streamflow and sediment yield based on LULC changes. To investigate temporal trends in LULC, a suite of non-parametric statistical tests, including the Mann–Kendall, Pettitt, and Sen’s slope estimator tests, was employed. Ecological diversity indices such as Shannon–Weaver, Simpson, and Pielou were applied to assess forest fragmentation, along with the Forest Fragmentation Index. The results revealed a growing trend in urban and sugarcane areas, coupled with a decline in dense vegetation, mangroves, and other forms of dense vegetation. With regard to the correlation between land uses and hydrological variables, the findings indicate minor variations in hydrological balance, attributable to the not-so-significant changes among the studied land-use scenarios, except for sediment yield estimates, which showed more considerable alterations. Notably, the estimates for 2000 and 2013–2016 were the most divergent. In a broader scientific context, this research conclusively establishes that the incorporation of dynamic LULC data into the SWAT model augments the precision and robustness of simulations pertaining to agricultural watersheds, thereby enabling a more comprehensive hydrological characterization of the study area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change: Vegetation Diversity Monitoring)
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18 pages, 4271 KiB  
Article
Diversity of Indicator and Dominant Plant Species along Elevation Gradients in Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Nature Reserve, KSA
by Dhafer A. Al-Bakre
Diversity 2023, 15(10), 1081; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15101081 - 12 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1838
Abstract
It is essential to protect and preserve biodiversity, especially in habitats in which natural resources are scarce. The differing flora and vegetation distribution on the broad, arid landscape at the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nature Reserve has yet to be investigated. Based [...] Read more.
It is essential to protect and preserve biodiversity, especially in habitats in which natural resources are scarce. The differing flora and vegetation distribution on the broad, arid landscape at the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nature Reserve has yet to be investigated. Based on GPS coordination and the transitional zone of plant communities, 48 symmetric plots of 50 × 50 m2 were distributed evenly over six elevations. In this study, we recorded 70 species in 33 families and elucidated floristic traits correlated with elevation. High species richness was recorded for the families Fabaceae, Poaceae, Asteraceae, and Chenopodiaceae. High numbers of chamaephyte and phanerophyte species were observed. In the chorotype, the mono-regional component contained 47% of the species, the bi-regional component 35.7%, and multi-regional and worldwide species comprised 10% and 7%, respectively. This study noted the growth habits of 23 herbs, 15 shrubs, 10 trees, and a single species of grass, vine, climber, and mistletoe. Diversity indices, indicator species, dominant plant communities, and soil profiles were compared for the defined zones of elevation. Alpha and beta diversity were high at elevations of ≥1000, 800, and ≤100 ma.s.l., compared to elevations of 600 m, 400 m, and 200 m. The highest species richness and species turnover were recorded at elevations of ≥1000, 800, and ≤100 m, while species evenness was greater at elevations of 600, 400, and 200 m. Vegetation analyses and indicator species (based on relative abundance) showed species variation with elevation. Species domination was influenced by physical soil structure and soil chemistry. Microclimates, including temperature and relative humidity variations, were found to be a significant driver in the ecosystem, resulting in varying plant diversity and species distribution at different elevations. Through canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), we used an autocorrelation of elevations, plant species, and soil properties to identify three phytogeographic categories that were presumed to be a proxy of microclimate change: Category I: elevations 1000 m and 800 m, including Retama raetam, Zilla Spinosa, and Vachellia gerrardii linked with sandy soil; Category II: elevations 600 m and 400 m, including species Haloxylon salicornicum, Rhazya stricta, and Leptadenia pyrotechnica linked with enriched soils containing CaCO3 and HCO3 and having a clay texture; and Category III: elevations 200 m and 100 m, including Zygophyllum coccineum, Tamarix nilotica, and Hyphaene thebaica, which thrived in salinity and silt soils. The spatial vegetation patterns of the xeric environment and its transition zones in Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nature Reserve were also documented. It is recommended that microclimate effects on species nominated for vegetation restoration or afforestation be considered for the optimal management of this important nature reserve. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change: Vegetation Diversity Monitoring)
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13 pages, 5129 KiB  
Article
Are There Any Land Use Dynamics in the Upper Bistrița Basin, Eastern Carpathians, Romania, in the Period 1990–2021?
by Valentin Jujea, Valeriu Stoilov-Linu, Mihaela Boboc, Ionel Popa, Alexandru Nedelea, Nicolae Crăciun and Bogdan-Mihai Negrea
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 980; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090980 - 30 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1744
Abstract
This paper aims to assess land use and land use change (LULC). For this purpose, supervised mapping on satellite imagery, using the European Space Agency (ESA) SNAP programme from LANDSAT databases, publicly accessible through the European Copernicus portal, was used. At the same [...] Read more.
This paper aims to assess land use and land use change (LULC). For this purpose, supervised mapping on satellite imagery, using the European Space Agency (ESA) SNAP programme from LANDSAT databases, publicly accessible through the European Copernicus portal, was used. At the same time, an analysis of the degree of landscape fragmentation in the study area was carried out, which revealed that, because of the particular fragmentation of small polygons, the best results were obtained via analysis/supervised mapping on satellite images. This method, once validated in the field, reflects the most accurate land use pattern in the analysed area, with wide applications in studies of agriculture, biodiversity, geography, etc. Between 2000 and 2010, significant changes were registered. Artificial surfaces decreased by approximately 400 ha, showing a negative trend in the last period of the interval. Coniferous forests reached their maximum threshold in 2000 (with 114,400 ha) in conjunction with the “Grassland” class, which exceeded 16,700 ha. In 2010, a drastic decrease in “Grassland” was recorded, reaching half of the values of 1990 and 2000, now having only 15,684 ha. Land cover changes were significant when comparing the period before 1989 with 2021. This fact was due to socio-economic changes in society, in large part caused by changes in professions and the way of life of the population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change: Vegetation Diversity Monitoring)
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