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Remote Sensing
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Application of Remote Sensing in Landscape Ecology
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Application of Remote Sensing in Landscape Ecology

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecological Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 540

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Wayne Myers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
Interests: spatial analysis; landscape ecology; conservation; geoinformatics for human-environment interface; multivariate analysis; environmental modelling; sustainable natural resource management; forestry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Douglas Miller

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Interests: soil science; remote sensing; GIS; geomorphology landscape

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human/environmental interface, interlace and transition trajectories are monitored in multiple modes; selectively sensed, spatially specific, and informatically innovative. Today’s technologies offer opportunities for supportive sensing from simple to sophisticated linking in layers. Aquatic aspects trigger transmitters tripping terrestrial transponders. Trailcams take digital data from particular perspectives for planned procurement.  Sound sensors store bird calls, as well as insect and frog signature sounds. Radio tracking follows animal activities. Drones show streams, bird nests, tree tops, sample sites, etc.  Ground-based lidar detects densities of understories. UAVs extend the modality of drones to sophisticated stabilized sensors.  Manned aircraft acquire aerial photography, lidar, radar and allied active and passive products.  Satellite surveillance shows temporal trends. Spatial data systems ingest and statistically integrate sensing system signals for informational insights.  Present purview spans such scenarios.

Landscapes are superstructure spatial systems of subsystems as functional frameworks with a temporal template.  Natural systems self-structure in triggered transitions. Humans interpose infrastructure, either at an interface or interlaced; and eventually interphased in disturbance dynamics.  A mixture of sensing systems and surveys show influx and feedback, as the subject matter of this special edition.

A lengthy career of interdisciplinary research, teaching, and outreach underlie this undertaking starting when remote sensing was synonymous with aerial photography and landscapes were subjectively scenic.  Four monographs mark my evolution of interest in landscape ecology from different points of perspective and technological trajectories.  They converge in terms of creating cognizance of rippling repercussions and resonance of change regarding biological, hydrological, and epidemiological effects.  Sensing sources have expanded exponentially, with adaptive informatics being both boon and bane.  Scopes of scaling should be synergistic, else it is easy to miss the trees for the forests and reasons versus randomness.

The aim of this issue is to show how remote sensing systems supplement each other and ensure that depth of detail does not purge prevailing patterns in ecosystem elements of localized landscapes with trends in time. This suggests a blend of condition contexts and mixed methodological modalities.

Prof. Dr. Wayne Myers
Dr. Douglas A. Miller
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. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • remote sensing
  • landscape ecology
  • image analysis
  • environmental indicators
  • lidar
  • radar
  • ecosystem services
  • spatial analysis
  • machine learning
  • drones
  • multispectral
  • digital elevation model
  • UAV
  • satellite imagery
  • radiotracking
  • digital sound recording
  • landscape fragmentation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 6638 KiB  
Article
Forest Fragmentation in Bavaria: A First-Time Quantitative Analysis Based on Earth Observation Data
by Kjirsten Coleman and Claudia Kuenzer
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(15), 2558; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17152558 - 23 Jul 2025
Viewed by 145
Abstract
Anthropogenic and climatic pressures can transform contiguous forests into smaller, less connected fragments. Forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning can furthermore be compromised or enhanced. We present a descriptive analysis of forest fragmentation in Bavaria, the largest federal state in Germany. We calculated 22 [...] Read more.
Anthropogenic and climatic pressures can transform contiguous forests into smaller, less connected fragments. Forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning can furthermore be compromised or enhanced. We present a descriptive analysis of forest fragmentation in Bavaria, the largest federal state in Germany. We calculated 22 metrics of fragmentation using forest polygons, aggregated within administrative units and with respect to both elevation and aspect orientation. Using a forest mask from September 2024, we found 2.384 million hectares of forest across Bavaria, distributed amongst 83,253 forest polygons 0.1 hectare and larger. The smallest patch category (XS, <25 ha) outnumbered all other size classes by nearly 13 to 1. Edge zones accounted for more than 1.68 million hectares, leaving less than 703,000 hectares as core forest. Although south-facing slopes dominated the state, the highest forest cover (~36%) was found on the least abundant east-oriented slopes. Most of the area is located at 400–600 m.a.s.l., with around 30% of this area covered by forests; however, XL forest patches (>3594 ha) dominated higher elevations, covering 30–60% of land surface area between 600 and 1400 m.a.s.l. The distribution of the largest patches follows the higher terrain and corresponds well to protected areas. K-Means clustering delineated 3 clusters, which corresponded well with the predominance of patchiness, aggregation, and edginess within districts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Remote Sensing in Landscape Ecology)
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29 pages, 8280 KiB  
Article
Constructing an Ecological Spatial Network Optimization Framework from the Pattern–Process–Function Perspective: A Case Study in Wuhan
by An Tong, Yan Zhou, Tao Chen and Zihan Qu
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(15), 2548; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17152548 - 22 Jul 2025
Viewed by 169
Abstract
Under the continuous disturbance of ecosystems driven by urbanization, landscape fragmentation and the disruption of ecological processes and functions are key challenges in optimizing ecological networks (EN). This study aims to examine the spatiotemporal evolution of topological patterns, ecological processes, and ecosystem services [...] Read more.
Under the continuous disturbance of ecosystems driven by urbanization, landscape fragmentation and the disruption of ecological processes and functions are key challenges in optimizing ecological networks (EN). This study aims to examine the spatiotemporal evolution of topological patterns, ecological processes, and ecosystem services (ES) in Wuhan from the “pattern–process–function” perspective. To overcome the lag in research concerning the coupling of ecological processes, functions, and spatial patterns, we explore the long-term dynamic evolution of ecosystem structure, process, and function by integrating multi-source data, including remote sensing, enabling comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis from 2000 to 2020. Addressing limitations in current EN optimization approaches, we integrate morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), use circuit theory to identify EN components, and conduct spatial optimization accurately. We further assess the effectiveness of two scenario types: “pattern–function” and “pattern–process”. The results reveal a distinct “increase-then-decrease” trend in EN structural attributes: from 2000 to 2020, source areas declined from 39 (900 km2) to 37 (725 km2), while corridor numbers fluctuated before stabilizing at 89. Ecological processes and functions exhibited phased fluctuations. Among water-related indicators, water conservation (as a core function), and modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI, as a key process) predominantly drive positive correlations under the “pattern–function” and “pattern–process” scenarios, respectively. The “pattern–function” scenario strengthens core area connectivity (24% and 4% slower degradation under targeted/random attacks, respectively), enhancing resistance to general disturbances, whereas the “pattern–process” scenario increases redundancy in edge transition zones (21% slower degradation under targeted attacks), improving resilience to targeted disruptions. This complementary design results in a gradient EN structure characterized by core stability and peripheral resilience. This study pioneers an EN optimization framework that systematically integrates identification, assessment, optimization, and validation into a closed-loop workflow. Notably, it establishes a quantifiable, multi-objective decision basis for EN optimization, offering transferable guidance for green infrastructure planning and ecological restoration from a pattern–process–function perspective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Remote Sensing in Landscape Ecology)
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