Working Group Spatial Analysis of Organisms in the Environment

Our Working Group serves as a forum to develop application-specific approaches for the use of spatial analysis in ecological studies. We perform the following work: 

The widespread application of spatial analysis in ecological studies makes it possible to consider special parts in IALE World Congresses or related topics in IALE Annual Conferences and prepare special issues to be published by technical journals (e.g., Ecological Modelling, Spatial Statistics).      
All interested colleagues are warmly welcome to contact:
Yousef Erfanifard (erfanifard(at)ut.ac.ir)

2024 Update

Our WG recently investigated mangrove forests along Iran's southern coast, covering over 1500 kilometers. The research highlights the importance of accurate mapping for conservation. We used satellite-based remote sensing to identify new sites and track changes over time. Our study used the submerged mangrove recognition index (SMRI) for precise mangrove mapping. Analysis over three decades (i.e., 1990-2020) showed an overall increase in mangrove area and trends in landscape connectivity. These findings reveals the importance of advanced techniques and landscape ecology principles for effective management and conservation. Understanding mangrove dynamics is crucial for biodiversity and resilience to environmental changes (Erfanifard et al., 2022).

Our WG co-leader investigated mingling-size relationships in Knysna Forest, South Africa, finding that the mingling-size hypothesis is not applicable. This has conservation implications, as size inequality may not be solely influenced by species mingling, indicating additional conservation efforts are necessary. Additionally, T-square distance sampling was implemented for assessing spatial tree diversity indices, revealing its adaptability to different tree patterns and potential for reducing sample sizes compared to traditional methods (Pommerening et al., 2024a, 2024b).

Additionally, recent studies in diverse forest ecosystems across Vietnam by our WG offer valuable insights into spatial dynamics and species interactions within tropical forests. The findings provide crucial insights into forest spatial ecology, crucial in landscape ecology. Spatial point pattern analysis reveals detailed spatial distribution of woody plant species, revealing mechanisms driving coexistence and community structure. Key findings emerge from Con Dao Islands' evergreen broadleaved forests, Southern Vietnam's semi-deciduous forests, and North-Central Vietnam's tropical evergreen forests, exploring distribution patterns and coexistence mechanisms. Analysis showed spatial distributions based on tree size and life-history stages, with aggregation among saplings and shifting patterns as trees grow. Negative interactions between mature and premature trees, alongside seed dispersal and natural self-thinning, shape species associations and spatial distributions. Conspecific interactions dominate at smaller scales, while habitat and topographic variation regulate local spatial distributions. These patterns reflect processes like seed dispersal, natural self-thinning, and habitat heterogeneity. Emphasizing both local and landscape-level factors is essential in landscape ecology. These findings enrich our understanding of how spatial processes shape forest ecosystems, highlighting landscape ecology's relevance in exploring species coexistence and community dynamics. Integrating spatial analyses with landscape ecology frameworks enables deeper insights, informing more effective conservation and management strategies for tropical forests (Nguyen et al., 2022; Ha et al., 2023; Quy et al., 2023).

Erfanifard, Y., Lotfi Nasirabad, M., & Stereńczak, K. (2022). Assessment of Iran’s mangrove forest dynamics (1990–2020) using Landsat time series. Remote Sensing, 14, 4912. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14194912.

Ha, P., Zhang, S., ai, N., Hue, H., Li, M., & Quy, N. (2023). Spatial association and diversity patterns of dominant tree species in the broadleaved evergreen forest, southern Vietnam. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 21(4), 3767-3790. http://dx.doi.org/10.15666/aeer/2104_37673790.

Pommerening, A., Durrheim, G., & Behrend, A. (2024a). Rare spatio-temporal interactions between conspecific species mingling and size inequality in a diverse Afromontane forest. Forest Ecology and Management, 558, 121787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121787.

Pommerening, A., Sterba, H., & Eskelson, B. (2024b). Distance and T-square sampling for spatial measures of tree diversity. Ecological Indicators, 163, 111995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.111995.

Quy, N. V., Hop, N. V., Pham, M. P., & Nguyen, H. H. (2023). Coexistence Mechanisms of Tree Species in an Evergreen Forest on Con Dao Islands, Vietnam. Biology Bulletin, 50(Suppl 4), S717-S733. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359023602288.

Nguyen, Q. V., Pham, H. T., Nguyen, T. T., Pham, M. P., Meng, L., Kang, Y. X., & Nguyen, H. H. (2022). Spatial distribution and association patterns of two dipterocarp tree species in a tropical moist semi-deciduous forest, Southern Vietnam. Biology Bulletin, 49(Suppl 2), S46-S58. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359022140114.