Abstract

TUN-DZUL, Fernando Jesús; VESTER, Hans; DURAN GARCIA, Rafael  and  SCHMOOK, Birgit. Tree structure and temporal variability of NDVI in the "low flood" of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Polibotánica [online]. 2008, n.25, pp.69-90. ISSN 1405-2768.

The Low-statured Inundated Forest (SBI in Spanish) of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico occurs in closed valleys with flat terrain and insufficient drainage (polje), typical of karstic landscapes. It is composed of few woody species, has a canopy up to 10 m high, and is important for its role as a refu-gium for fauna and as a seed source. Various associations are distinguished within this vegetation type, such as tintales, pucteales, and mucales. In order improve the differentiation between SBI and non-inundated surrounding forest, spectral reflectance of the SBI was analyzed using NDVI over time along a transect from the interior of a polje to the surrounding forest in three landscapes on a humidity gradient captured on Landsat ETM satellite images. Plots were established along each transect for describing the structure and composition of the vegetation, monitoring phenology and inundation level, and relating these to the NDVI. The SBI plots showed a species richness (30) similar to that of the surrounding forest (29), but had a higher density (4570 ind/ha versus 2426 ind/ha) and higher diversity (Shannon Wiener 3.02). NDVI values increased from the interior of the polje to the surrounding forest and showed a higher contrast in the dry period. Thus, the image of that season yielded a better classification of the SBI.

Keywords : Yucatan Peninsula; phenology; vegetation index; environmental gradient; structure and composition.

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