GIS and RS for Modeling Landform Controls on the Distribution of Forest Canopy Vascular Epiphyte

Elias Nyandwi

Abstract


In the tropical mountainous rainforest, the forest canopy structure is highly correlated with local topography. However, the relationships of forest canopy structure with canopy vascular epiphyte (one of its unique biodiversity richness) is poorly described and yet to be established. This study aims at modelling the distribution of canopy vascular epiphyte diversity in the Nyungwe National Park of Rwanda. Canopy vascular epiphyte distributions were mapped by applying a logistic regression equation relating the presence/absence data to the parameters of surface shape.

The results indicated that there is a significant impact of terrain elevation and the geomorphic shape of the land surface (terrain shape index) on vascular epiphyte occurrence. Based on the most accurate logistic model assessed by the residual deviance information, the Akaike Information Criterion and the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve, the probability of vascular epiphytes to occur was predicted at 75 % level of accuracy. This confirms the role of elevation and landform to determine communities and site suitability in mountainous areas.


Keywords


Tropical rainforest, canopy structure, vascular epiphyte, spatial modeling.



Disclaimer/Regarding indexing issue:

We have provided the online access of all issues and papers to the indexing agencies (as given on journal web site). It’s depend on indexing agencies when, how and what manner they can index or not. Hence, we like to inform that on the basis of earlier indexing, we can’t predict the today or future indexing policy of third party (i.e. indexing agencies) as they have right to discontinue any journal at any time without prior information to the journal. So, please neither sends any question nor expects any answer from us on the behalf of third party i.e. indexing agencies.Hence, we will not issue any certificate or letter for indexing issue. Our role is just to provide the online access to them. So we do properly this and one can visit indexing agencies website to get the authentic information. Also: DOI is paid service which provided by a third party. We never mentioned that we go for this for our any journal. However, journal have no objection if author go directly for this paid DOI service.