Landscape of fear visible from space.

Scientific Reports
Elizabeth M P MadinDavid J Booth

Abstract

By linking ecological theory with freely-available Google Earth satellite imagery, landscape-scale footprints of behavioural interactions between predators and prey can be observed remotely. A Google Earth image survey of the lagoon habitat at Heron Island within Australia's Great Barrier Reef revealed distinct halo patterns within algal beds surrounding patch reefs. Ground truth surveys confirmed that, as predicted, algal canopy height increases with distance from reef edges. A grazing assay subsequently demonstrated that herbivore grazing was responsible for this pattern. In conjunction with recent behavioural ecology studies, these findings demonstrate that herbivores' collective antipredator behavioural patterns can shape vegetation distributions on a scale clearly visible from space. By using sequential Google Earth images of specific locations over time, this technique could potentially allow rapid, inexpensive remote monitoring of cascading, indirect effects of predator removals (e.g., fishing; hunting) and/or recovery and reintroductions (e.g., marine or terrestrial reserves) nearly anywhere on earth.

References

Aug 28, 2010·Science·Heather Pringle
Oct 22, 2010·The American Naturalist·Elizabeth M P MadinRobert R Warner
Feb 10, 2011·Ecology·Elizabeth M P MadinRobert R Warner

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Citations

Oct 15, 2013·PloS One·Christopher H R Goatley, David R Bellwood
Feb 28, 2014·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·D R BellwoodO Bellwood
Sep 4, 2015·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Laura B CatanoDeron E Burkepile
Oct 9, 2015·Global Change Biology·Elizabeth M P MadinRobert R Warner
May 23, 2013·Ecology·Craig A LaymanElizabeth W Stoner
Feb 22, 2012·PloS One·Pablo TrujilloJennifer Jacquet
Nov 26, 2015·PloS One·J Emmett DuffyJonathan S Lefcheck
Feb 25, 2017·F1000Research·Deron E Burkepile, John D Parker
Nov 18, 2017·Scientific Reports·Douglas B RasherMark E Hay
Apr 25, 2019·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Elizabeth M P MadinJoshua S Madin
Mar 10, 2017·Scientific Reports·Kostantinos A StamoulisRobert J Toonen
Nov 23, 2013·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·Kirsty L NashDavid R Bellwood
Aug 12, 2020·Bulletin of Mathematical Biology·Nick P TaylorRobert A Van Gorder
Feb 28, 2019·Frontiers in Endocrinology·Joan Carles Balasch, Lluís Tort
Apr 12, 2017·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Michael A Gil, Andrew M Hein
Feb 13, 2019·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Kaitlyn M GaynorJustin S Brashares
Feb 25, 2018·Marine Environmental Research·José Anchieta C C NunesFrancisco Barros

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Software Mentioned

Google Earth

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