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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
A Sense Of Scale: Mapping Exotic Annual Grasses With Satellite Imagery Across A Landscape And Quantifying Their Biomass At A Plot Level With Structure-From-Motion In A Semi-Arid Ecosystem, Monica Vermillion
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
The native vegetation communities in the sagebrush steppe, a semi-arid ecosystem type, are under threat from exotic annual grasses. Exotic annual grasses increase fire severity and frequency, decrease biodiversity, and reduce soil carbon storage amongst other ecosystem services. The invasion of exotic annual grasses is causing detrimental impacts to land use by eliminating forage for livestock and creating a huge economic cost from fire control and post-fire restoration. To combat invasion, land managers need to know what exotic annual grasses are present, where they are invading, and estimates of their biomass. Mapping exotic annual grasses is challenging because many areas …
Assessment Of Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas) Surveys In Dryland Ecosystems: Estimates Of Fractional Photosynthetic Cover And Plant Functional Types, Anna V. Roser
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Drylands cover 41% of the global land surface and provide ecosystem services to 38% of the world’s population. Dryland ecosystems have already been degraded or threatened by the increased rates of wildfire and invasive annual grasses, as well as changes in precipitation patterns. We cannot protect, mitigate, or restore drylands without comprehensive vegetation surveys. To understand ecosystem processes, we need to know the composition of vegetation at the patch and plant scales. Field observations are limited in coverage, and are expensive and time intensive. Data from Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) will fill the niche between field data and medium scale …