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Title: USING MULTISPECTRAL VIDEOGRAPHY IN DISTINGUISHING SPECIES COMPOSITION AND VEGETATION PATTERN IN RIPARIAN FORESTS OF THE LOWER RIO GRANDE

Author
item LONARD, ROBERT - UT-PANAM UNIV,EDINBURG,TX
item JUDD, FRANK - UT-PANAM UNIV,EDINBURG,TX
item Everitt, James
item Escobar, David
item Davis, Michael

Submitted to: Biannual Workshop in Color Photography and Videography in Resource
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/3/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The plant composition and zonation of riparian vegetation along the Lower Rio Grande is poorly known. A study was conducted utilizing aerial color infrared (CIR) videography to assess its potential for recognition and mapping of three riparian sites along the Lower Rio Grande in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties, Texas. Results showed that several major vegetation cover types could be delineated at these sites. Aerial CIR videography appears to be an excellent method for mapping the distribution of trees in the tree layer, but not for the distribution of understory shrubs and herbaceous species. These results should be of interest to natural resource managers.

Technical Abstract: The Rio Grande is the second longest river in the U.S. Surprisingly, the plant position and zonation of riparian vegetation along the Lower Rio Grande are poorly known. As a first step in providing information to permit recognition and mapping of riparian vegetation, we employed aerial multispectral videography to investigate the patterns of zonation and species composition at three sites along the river. The line intercept technique of vegetation analysis was used to provide ground truth and to assist in the correlation of imagery and vegetation discrimination, distribution, and abundance. Celtis laevigata (sugar hackberry) was the dominant tree species at the Sabal Palm Sanctuary (SPS) and at La Joya (LJ), but Ulmus crassifolia (cedar elm) and Ehretia anacua (anacua) were the dominant tree species at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge (SANWR). Cocculus diversifolius (correhuela), C. laevigata, and Malvaviscus arboreus s(Texas mallow) shared dominance in the shrub layer at SPS. Zanthoxylum fagara (colima) was the conspicuous dominant in the shrub layer at SANWR, but six species, namely Fraxinus berlandieriana (Mexican ash), Celtis pallida (granjeno), Salix exigua (sandbar willow), Ampelopsis arborea (peppervine), Arundo donax (giant reed), and C. laevigata shared dominance in the shrub layer at LJ. The introduced grass, Panicum maximum (Guineagrass) was the clear dominant in the ground layer at SPS and SANWR. Clematis drummondii (old man's beard), Setaria leucopila (bristlegrass), P. maximum, and Cenchrus ciliaris (bufflegrass) were the leading dominants in the ground cover at LJ. Aerial multispectral videography appears to be an excellent method for mapping the distribution of trees in the tree layer, but not for the distribution of understory shrubs and herbaceous species.