Long-Term Monitoring of Tree Population Dynamics in Desert Ecosystems: Integrating Field and Satellite Data
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. The Geo-Hydrology Environment of Acacia Trees in Israel
1.2. Monitoring Vegetation in Arid Regions
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area
2.1.1. Small Catchment Wadis
2.1.2. Margins of the Salt Flats
2.2. Long-Term Field Monitoring
2.2.1. Population Dynamics: Recruitment
2.2.2. Population Dynamics: Mortality
2.3. Remote Sensing Analysis
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Long-Term Field Monitoring
3.1.1. Identification of Dead Trees
3.1.2. Mortality and Tree Size
3.1.3. Rainfall and Mortality Response Time
3.1.4. Rain Impact at the Different Hydrological Regimes
3.1.5. Effective Rain for Trees Survival
3.1.6. Effective Rain for Recruitment
3.2. Extending the Temporal Scope of Mortality Monitoring Using Satellite Images
3.2.1. Population Dynamics
3.2.2. Mortality Time Scale Episodes
4. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Maslin, B.R.; Miller, J.T.; Seigler, D.S. Overview of the Generic Status of Acacia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae). Aust. Syst. Bot. 2003, 16, 1–18. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Munzbergova, Z.; Ward, D. Acacia Trees as Keystone Species in Negev Desert Ecosystems. J. Veg. Sci. 2002, 13, 227–236. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Shmida, A.; Evenari, M.; Noy-Meir, I. Hot Desert Ecosystems: An Integrated View. In Hot Deserts and Shrublands, A. Ecosystems of the World; Evenari, M., Noy-Meir, I., Goodall, D.W., Eds.; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1985; Volume 12A, pp. 379–387. [Google Scholar]
- Manning, A.D.; Fischer, J.; Lindenmayer, D.B. Scattered Trees Are Keystone Structures—Implications for Conservation. Biol. Conserv. 2006, 132, 311–321. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- De Boever, M.; Gabriels, D.; Ouessar, M.; Cornelis, W. Influence of Scattered Acacia Trees on Soil Nutrient Levels in Arid Tunisia. J. Arid Environ. 2015, 122, 161–168. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Abdallah, F.; Noumi, Z.; Touzard, B.; Belgacem, A.O.; Neffati, M.; Chaieb, M. The Influence of Acacia Tortilis (Forssk.) Subsp. Raddiana (Savi) and Livestock Grazing on Grass Species Composition, Yield and Soil Nutrients in Arid Environments of South Tunisia. Flora Morphol. Distrib. Funct. Ecol. Plants 2008, 203, 116–125. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Courty, L.G.; Soriano-Monzalvo, J.C.; Pedrozo-Acuña, A. Evaluation of Open-Access Global Digital Elevation Models (AW3D30, SRTM, and ASTER) for Flood Modelling Purposes. J. Flood Risk Manag. 2019, 12, e12550. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hobbs, J.J.; Krzywinski, K.; Andersen, G.L.; Talib, M.; Pierce, R.H.; Saadallah, A.E.M. Acacia Trees on the Cultural Landscapes of the Red Sea Hills. Biodivers. Conserv. 2014, 23, 2923–2943. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ashkenazi, S. Acacia Trees in the Negev and the Arava, Israel: A Review Following Reported Large-Scale Mortality; Hakeren Hakayemet LeIsrael: Jerusalem, Israel, 1995; (In Hebrew with English Summary). [Google Scholar]
- Andersen, G.L.; Krzywinski, K. Mortality, Recruitment and Change of Desert Tree Populations in a Hyper-Arid Environment. PLoS ONE 2007, 2, e208. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Andersen, G.L.; Krzywinski, K. Longevity and Growth of Acacia Tortilis; Insights from 14C Content and Anatomy of Wood. BMC Ecol. 2007, 7, 4. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- BenDavid-Novak, H.; Schick, A.P. The Response of Acacia Tree Populations on Small, Alluvial Fans to Changes in the Hydrological Regime: Southern Negev Desert, Israel. Catena 1997, 29, 341–351. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lahav-Ginott, S.; Kadmon, R.; Gersani, M. Evaluating the Viability of Acacia Populations in the Negev Desert: A Remote Sensing Approach. Biol. Conserv. 2001, 98, 127–137. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Peled, Y. The Mortality of Acacia Trees in the Southern Arava Region; Hebrew University: Jerusalem, Israel, 1988. [Google Scholar]
- Shrestha, M.K.; Stock, W.D.; Ward, D.; Golan-Goldhirsh, A. Water Status of Isolated Negev Desert Populations of Acacia Raddiana with Different Mortality Levels. Plant Ecol. 2003, 168, 297–307. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Stavi, I.; Silver, M.; Avni, Y. Latitude, Basin Size, and Microhabitat Effects on the Viability of Acacia Trees in the Negev and Arava, Israel. Catena 2014, 114, 149–156. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ward, D.; Rohner, C. Anthropogenic Causes of High Mortality and Low Recruitment in Three Acacia Tree Taxa in the Negev Desert, Israel. Biodivers. Conserv. 1997, 6, 877–893. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wiegand, K.; Jeltsch, F.; Ward, D. Do Spatial Effects Play a Role in the Spatial Distribution of Desert-Dwelling Acacia Raddiana? J. Veg. Sci. 2000, 11, 473–484. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wiegand, K.; Ward, D.; Thulke, H.H.; Jeltsch, F. From Snapshot Information to Long-Term Population Dynamics of Acacias by a Simulation Model. Plant Ecol. 2000, 150, 97–114. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wiegand, K.; Schmidt, H.; Jeltsch, F.; Ward, D. Linking a Spatially-Explicit Model of Acacias to GIS and Remotely-Sensed Data. Folia Geobot. 2000, 35, 211–230. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Alsafran, M.H. Environmental Determinants of the Ecology and Distribution of Acacia Tortilis under Arid Conditions in Qatar; Newcastle University: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 2014. [Google Scholar]
- Goslar, T.; Andersen, G.; Krzywinski, K.; Czernik, J. Radiocarbon Determination of Past Growth Rates of Living Acacia Tortilis Treed from Two Arid Sites in the Eastern Sahara. Radiocarbon 2013, 55, 1683–1692. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Abd El-Wahab, R.H.; Seleem, T.A.; Zaghloul, M.S.; El-Rayes, A.E.; Moustafa, A.E.R.A.; Abdel-Hamid, A. Anthropogenic Effects on Population Structure of Acacia Tortilis Subsp: Raddiana along a Gradient of Water Availability in South Sinai, Egypt. Afr. J. Ecol. 2013, 52, 308–317. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zaghloul, M.; Abd el-Wahab, R.; Moustafa, A. Conservation of Acacia Tortilis Subsp. Raddiana Populations in Southern Sinai, Egypt. III-Population Structure and Dynamics. Assuit Univ. J. Bot. 2008, 37, 85–113. [Google Scholar]
- Noumi, Z.; Chaieb, M. Dynamics of Acacia Tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne Subsp. Raddiana (Savi) Brenan in Arid Zones of Tunisia. Acta Bot. Gall. 2012, 159, 121–126. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Noumii, Z.; Dhaou, S.O.; Abdallah, F.; Touzard, B.; Chaieb, M. Acacia Tortilis Subsp. Raddiana in the North African Arid Zone: The Obstacles to Natural Regeneration. Acta Bot. Gall. 2010, 157, 231–240. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Van Coillie, F.; Delaplace, K.; Gabriels, D.; de Smet, K.; Ouessar, M.; Belgacem, A.O.; Taamallah, H.; de Wulf, R. Monotemporal Assessment of the Population Structure of Acacia Tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne Ssp. Raddiana (Savi) Brenan in Bou Hedma National Park, Tunisia: A Terrestrial and Remote Sensing Approach. J. Arid Environ. 2016, 129, 80–92. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zaghloul, M. Conservation of Acacia Tortilis Subsp. Raddiana Populations in Southern Sinai, Egypt I-Genetic Diversity and Structure. Catrina 2007, 2, 51–60. [Google Scholar]
- Halevy, G.; Orshan, G. Ecological Studies on Acacia Species in the Negev and Sinai: 1. Distribution of Acacia Raddiana, A.Tortilis and A.Gerrardii Ssp. Negevensis as Related to Environmental Factors. Isr. J. Bot. 1972, 24, 197–208. [Google Scholar]
- Noy-Meir, I. Desert Ecosystems: Environment and Producers. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 1973, 4, 25–51. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Sher, A.A.; Wiegand, K.; Ward, D. Do Acacia and Tamarix Trees Compete for Water in the Negev Desert? J. Arid Environ. 2010, 74, 338–343. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Eisfelder, C.; Kuenzer, C.; Dech, S. Derivation of Biomass Information for Semi-Arid Areas Using Remote-Sensing Data. Int. J. Remote Sens. 2012, 33, 2937–2984. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ward, D. The Biology of Deserts; Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 2009; ISBN 9780191728143. [Google Scholar]
- Armoza-Zvuloni, R.; Shlomi, Y.; Shem-Tov, R.; Stavi, I.; Abadi, I. Drought and Anthropogenic Effects on Acacia Populations: A Case Study from the Hyper-Arid Southern Israel. Soil Syst. 2021, 5, 23. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Marzolff, I.; Kirchhoff, M.; Stephan, R.; Seeger, M.; Aït Hssaine, A.; Ries, J.B. Monitoring Dryland Trees With Remote Sensing. Part A: Beyond CORONA—Historical HEXAGON Satellite Imagery as a New Data Source for Mapping Open-Canopy Woodlands on the Tree Level. Front. Environ. Sci. 2022, 10, 1–21. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Andersen, G.L. How to Detect Desert Trees Using Corona Images: Discovering Historical Ecological Data. J. Arid Environ. 2006, 65, 491–511. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Goldreich, Y.; Karni, O. Climate and Precipitation Regime in the Arava Valley, Israel. Isr. J. Earth Sci. 2001, 50, 53–59. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ginat, H.; Shlomi, Y.; Batarseh, S.; Vogel, J. Reduction in Precipitation Levels in the Arava Valley (Southern Israel and Jordan), 1949–2009. J. Dead-Sea Arav. Res. 2011, 1, 1–7. [Google Scholar]
- Isaacson, S.; Ephrath, J.E.; Rachmilevitch, S.; Maman, S.; Ginat, H.; Blumberg, D.G. Long and Short Term Population Dynamics of Acacia Trees via Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis: Case Study in the Southern Negev Desert. Remote Sens. Environ. 2017, 198, 95–104. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ron, M.; Shalmon, B.; Alon, D.; Ramon, U. Harava—Survey, Analysis, and Assessment of Natural Resources, Nature, and Human Heritage; DESHE: Tel Aviv, Israel, 2003. [Google Scholar]
- Amiel, A.J.; Friedman, G.M. Continental Sabkha in Arava Valley between Dead Sea and Red Sea: Significance for Origin of Evaporites. Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull. 1971, 55, 581–592. [Google Scholar]
- Barnes, A. On-the-Fly and Permanent Orthorectification of NITF Images in ArcGIS; CAST Technical Publications Series; Number 7340. Available online: https://gmv.cast.uark.edu/gisrs/software-remotesensing/arcgis/workflow-arcgis/on-the-fly-and-permanent-orthorectification-of-nitf-images-in-arcmap-2 (accessed on 27 June 2023).
- Gutterman, Y. Germination, the Survival of Seedlings and Competition. In Seed Germination in Desert Plants; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 1993; pp. 207–223. [Google Scholar]
- Stavi, I.; Shem-Tov, R.; Shlomi, Y.; Bel, G.; Yizhaq, H. Recruitment and Decay Rate of Acacia Seedlings in the Hyper-Arid Arava Valley, Israel. Catena 2015, 131, 14–21. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
(A) 2000–2016 Number of Dead Trees per Year | (B) 1981–2016 Cumulative Mortality Percent | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Running Average | r | p-Value | r | p-Value |
1 Yr | −0.604 | p = 0.013 | −0.128 | p = 0.552 |
2 Yr | −0.597 | p = 0.015 | −0.173 | p = 0.418 |
3 Yr | −0.464 | p = 0.070 | −0.247 | p = 0.245 |
4 Yr | −0.731 | p = 0.001 | −0.363 | p = 0.081 |
5 Yr | −0.767 | p = 0.001 | −0.496 | p = 0.014 |
6 Yr | −0.524 | p = 0.037 | −0.583 | p = 0.003 |
7 Yr | −0.586 | p = 0.017 | −0.658 | p = 0.000 |
8 Yr | −0.625 | p = 0.010 | −0.762 | p = 0.000 |
9 Yr | −0.541 | p = 0.030 | −0.825 | p = 0.000 |
10 Yr | −0.421 | p = 0.104 | −0.853 | p = 0.000 |
Growth Percent (2000–2015) | ||
---|---|---|
Trunk Circumferences Size Category (cm): | Small Wadi | Salt Flat |
<10 | 131 | 441 |
10–30 | 12 | 114 |
30–60 | 4.4 | 23.3 |
>60 | 4 | 19.6 |
Site | Coordinates | Estimated Year of Germination | Number of Seedlings Found | Seedlings Survived in 2016 | Years of Seedlings Dead | Survivability (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roded | 29°36′43 N/34°54′50 E | 2012 | 4 | 2 | 2013 | |
Roded | 2014 | 2 | 0 | 2015 | 33.3 | |
Shlomo | 29°32′56 N/34°54′00 E | 2012 | 14 | 1 | 2013 | 7.1 |
Ktora | 2012 | 1 | 0 | 2014 | ||
Ktora | 30°01′15 N/35°04′50 E | 2014 | 8 | 1 | 2015 | 11.1 |
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Isaacson, S.; Ephrath, J.E.; Rachmilevitch, S.; Blumberg, D.G.; Shalmon, B.; Katz, O.; Maman, S. Long-Term Monitoring of Tree Population Dynamics in Desert Ecosystems: Integrating Field and Satellite Data. Land 2023, 12, 1640. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081640
Isaacson S, Ephrath JE, Rachmilevitch S, Blumberg DG, Shalmon B, Katz O, Maman S. Long-Term Monitoring of Tree Population Dynamics in Desert Ecosystems: Integrating Field and Satellite Data. Land. 2023; 12(8):1640. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081640
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsaacson, Sivan, Jhonathan E. Ephrath, Shimon Rachmilevitch, Dan G. Blumberg, Benny Shalmon, Ofir Katz, and Shimrit Maman. 2023. "Long-Term Monitoring of Tree Population Dynamics in Desert Ecosystems: Integrating Field and Satellite Data" Land 12, no. 8: 1640. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081640