Airborne and spaceborne imaging spectroscopy capture belowground microbial communities and physicochemical characteristics in invaded grasslands
This study develops scalable approaches using airborne and spaceborne imaging spectroscopy to map belowground microbial and physicochemical properties in grasslands invaded by Lespedeza cuneata. Findings show strong aboveground–belowground linkages and demonstrate that spectral data and fused satellite products can effectively map belowground conditions across large landscapes.
Subject Tags
- Grassland
- Biodiversity
Abstract
Belowground properties, including belowground microbial communities and physicochemical characteristics, play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning. Developing scalable approaches to map these properties across large spatial domains is essential for advancing our understanding of ecosystem functioning. However, large-scale approaches for mapping belowground properties, particularly in vegetated ecosystems, have yet to be developed. In this study, we aimed to develop approaches to map belowground microbial communities (bacterial and fungal) and physicochemical characteristics in an extensive grassland ecosystem affected by invasive plants using airborne and spaceborne imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral remote sensing). We focused on Lespedeza cuneata (L. cuneata), an invasive plant threatening grasslands of the U.S. Southern Great Plains. We developed structural equation models to determine aboveground-belowground linkages. We used airborne hyperspectral data to estimate aboveground characteristics from partial least squares regression and then mapped belowground properties using aboveground characteristics through generalized joint attribute models. We also assessed the capability of spaceborne data in mapping the spatial distribution of belowground properties through fusing coarse spatial resolution DLR's DESIS hyperspectral data with fine spatial resolution PlanetScope multispectral data. Our findings showed that there are linkages between percent cover of L. cuneata, aboveground characteristics, and belowground properties. Large-scale analysis using airborne hyperspectral data showed that belowground properties varied across increasing percent cover of L. cuneata. Similar results were observed when using fused spaceborne data. Our findings indicated that (1) spectral information can reveal belowground properties and (2) fusing spaceborne data can be an effective approach to mapping belowground properties in grassland ecosystems.
Citation
Rakotoarivony, M. N. A., Hassani, K., Fuhlendorf, S., Bachelot, B., Hamilton, R., & Gholizadeh, H. (2026). Airborne and spaceborne imaging spectroscopy capture belowground microbial communities and physicochemical characteristics in invaded grasslands. Remote Sensing of Environment, 335, 115250.
TNC Authors
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Robert Hamilton
The Nature Conservancy