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Although many studies have considered urban structure when investigating urban ecological networks, few have considered the three-dimensional (3D) structure of buildings as well as urban green spaces. Airborne LiDAR datasets provide an opportunity to quantify 3D structure and evaluate 3D metrics in connectivity mapping. We examined an urban ecological network using the 3D structure of both green spaces and buildings. Using breeding-season bird species observations and airborne LiDAR data collected, we assessed the influence of 3D structural variables on species diversity. We used correlation analyses to determine if vertical distribution, volume, area, and height of both buildings and vegetation were related to bird species diversity. Then we conducted circuit theory-based current flow betweenness centrality (CFBC) analysis using the LiDAR-derived structural variables. We found that the volumes of buildings and 8–10 m vegetation heights were both highly correlated with species richness per unit area. There were significant differences between 2D and 3D connectivity analysis using LiDAR-derived variables among urban forest patches, boulevards, and apartment complexes. Within urban forest patches and parks, 3D CFBC represented canopy structural characteristics well, by showing high variance in spatial distributions. The 3D CFBC results indicated that adjacent high-rise buildings, dense apartment complexes, and densely urbanized areas were isolated, as characterized by low centrality values, but that vegetation planted in open spaces between buildings could improve connectivity by linking isolated areas to core areas. Our research highlights the importance of considering 3D structure in planning and managing urban ecological connectivity.
Heejoon Choi; YoungKeun Song; Wanmo Kang; James H. Thorne; Wonkyong Song; Dong Kun Lee. LiDAR-derived three-dimensional ecological connectivity mapping for urban bird species. Landscape Ecology 2021, 36, 581 -599.
AMA StyleHeejoon Choi, YoungKeun Song, Wanmo Kang, James H. Thorne, Wonkyong Song, Dong Kun Lee. LiDAR-derived three-dimensional ecological connectivity mapping for urban bird species. Landscape Ecology. 2021; 36 (2):581-599.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeejoon Choi; YoungKeun Song; Wanmo Kang; James H. Thorne; Wonkyong Song; Dong Kun Lee. 2021. "LiDAR-derived three-dimensional ecological connectivity mapping for urban bird species." Landscape Ecology 36, no. 2: 581-599.
Anthropogenic land use has led to the loss and fragmentation of native habitats and disruption to ecosystem processes, resulting in a decline in landscape connectivity and biodiversity. Here, in order to find the potentials of improvements in ecological connectivity, we provide a spatial analysis to present differences in ecological connectivity based on land cover maps and urban habitat maps in Suwon city, Republic of Korea. We generated two permeability maps for use in a network analysis, one being land cover and the other urban habitat, including a 5-km buffer area from the city boundary. We then determined the current-flow betweenness centrality (CFBC) for each map. Our results indicate that forests are typically the most highly connected areas in both maps. However, in the land cover map results, nearly all high-priority areas were in the mountainous region (CFBC value: 0.0100 ± 0.0028), but the urban habitat indicated that grasslands and rivers within the city also significantly contribute to connectivity (CFBC value: 0.0071 ± 0.0022). The CFBC maps developed here could be used as a reference when introducing green infrastructure in cities. Before establishing ecological networks for urban areas, future work should integrate the land use and ecological data of different administrative districts with continuous ecological connection.
Dohee Kim; Wonhyeop Shin; Heejoon Choi; Jihwan Kim; YoungKeun Song. Estimation of Ecological Connectivity in a City Based on Land Cover and Urban Habitat Maps. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9529 .
AMA StyleDohee Kim, Wonhyeop Shin, Heejoon Choi, Jihwan Kim, YoungKeun Song. Estimation of Ecological Connectivity in a City Based on Land Cover and Urban Habitat Maps. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (22):9529.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDohee Kim; Wonhyeop Shin; Heejoon Choi; Jihwan Kim; YoungKeun Song. 2020. "Estimation of Ecological Connectivity in a City Based on Land Cover and Urban Habitat Maps." Sustainability 12, no. 22: 9529.
Understanding forest dynamics is important for assessing the health of urban forests, which experience various disturbances, both natural (e.g., treefall events) and artificial (e.g., making space for agricultural fields). Therefore, quantifying three-dimensional changes in canopies is a helpful way to manage and understand urban forests better. Multitemporal airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) datasets enable us to quantify the vertical and lateral growth of trees across a landscape scale. The goal of this study is to assess the annual changes in the 3-D structures of canopies and forest gaps in an urban forest using annual airborne LiDAR datasets for 2012–2015. The canopies were classified as high canopies and low canopies by a 5 m height threshold. Then, we generated pixel- and plot-level canopy height models and conducted change detection annually. The vertical growth rates and leaf area index showed consistent values year by year in both canopies, while the spatial distributions of the canopy and leaf area profile (e.g., leaf area density) showed inconsistent changes each year in both canopies. In total, high canopies expanded their foliage from 12 m height, while forest gap edge canopies (including low canopies) expanded their canopies from 5 m height. Annual change detection with LiDAR datasets might inform about both steady growth rates and different characteristics in the changes of vertical canopy structures for both high and low canopies in urban forests.
Heejoon Choi; YoungKeun Song; Youngwoon Jang. Urban Forest Growth and Gap Dynamics Detected by Yearly Repeated Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR): A Case Study of Cheonan, South Korea. Remote Sensing 2019, 11, 1551 .
AMA StyleHeejoon Choi, YoungKeun Song, Youngwoon Jang. Urban Forest Growth and Gap Dynamics Detected by Yearly Repeated Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR): A Case Study of Cheonan, South Korea. Remote Sensing. 2019; 11 (13):1551.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHeejoon Choi; YoungKeun Song; Youngwoon Jang. 2019. "Urban Forest Growth and Gap Dynamics Detected by Yearly Repeated Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR): A Case Study of Cheonan, South Korea." Remote Sensing 11, no. 13: 1551.