NDLI: Remote sensing of intertidal habitats predicts West Indian topsnail population expansion but reveals scale-dependent bias

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Meyer, Erin L. Matzke, Nicholas J. Williams, Simon J.
Copyright Year	2015
Abstract	High-resolution imagery is lacking for much of the West Indies, impeding accurate intertidal habitat assessments and conservation planning. The West Indian topsnail, which inhabits rocky shores, is an important, regional fishery. It was overfished to extinction in Bermuda but reintroduced in 1982. In this study, we estimate potential population size through habitat mapping using high-resolution imagery and ground-based survey data. We also test the effects of image resolution and map scale on intertidal habitat assessments. The coastline of Bermuda was mapped as a linear feature (1:500) using high-resolution imagery. Topsnail population size was predicted using length of preferred habitat and population density. With the comprehensive map as ground-truth, effects of scale were assessed in two ways: supervised classification of low-resolution imagery and progressive map scale coarsening (Douglas-Peuker simplification). Bermuda’s coastline is 296 km at this map scale, 50 % of which is rocky shore. Topsnail population could expand significantly if all preferred habitat is occupied. However, image resolution and map scale drastically affect mapping robustness. Unsurprisingly, automated classifiers poorly distinguished narrow intertidal habitats. More disturbingly, coarsening map scale differentially affected habitats. Fine-scale mapping enabled by high-resolution imagery is vital for intertidal conservation planning. Limitations of low-resolution imagery and scale-dependent biases are pertinent beyond intertidal habitats. Numerous predominantly linear habitats may be especially sensitive to sea-level rise and other effects of climate change, so careful consideration of the effects of scale on habitat assessments and the use of high-resolution imagery are strongly recommended.
Starting Page	107
Ending Page	118
Page Count	12
File Format	PDF
ISSN	14000350
Journal	Journal of Coastal Conservation
Volume Number	19
Issue Number	2
e-ISSN	18747841
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2015-01-10
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Bermuda Cittarium pica Conservation biogeography Intertidal Remote sensing Scale dependence Geography (general) Coastal Sciences Oceanography Nature Conservation Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Ecology Nature and Landscape Conservation Oceanography

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1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
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3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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