Abstract

Predicting Fish Species Richness Using LIDAR-derived Surface Complexity
Track: Ocean, Coastal, and Marine Resources
Author(s): Bryan Costa, Simon Pittman, Timothy Battista

Coral reef ecosystems exhibit complex vertical and horizontal structural heterogeneity at a range of spatial scales. This heterogeneity plays an important ecological role in influencing the distribution, abundance, and behavior of marine organisms. Measures of surface complexity in the marine environment have been widely used to quantify structural heterogeneity, yet most studies have focused at relatively fine spatial scales and within single habitat types. Here we calculate several different measures of surface complexity at multiple spatial scales from bathymetric LiDAR collected from nearshore environments in southwestern Puerto Rico. We then evaluate their relative performance as predictors of fish species richness across topographically and compositionally complex mosaic of habitat types. The value of LiDAR data as a tool to support decision making in living marine resource management could be immense, if remotely sensed structural complexity can be linked effectively to biological patterns and processes.

Bryan Costa
NOAA - Center for Coastal Monitoring & Assessment
1305 East West Highway
SSMC 4, 9th floor
Silver Spring , Maryland 20910
United States
Phone: 301-713-3028
Fax: 301-713-4384
E-mail: bryan.costa@noaa.gov

Simon Pittman
NOAA - Center for Coastal Monitoring & Assessment
EPSCOR - University of VI
2 Brewers Bay
St. Thomas , Virgin Islands 00802
United States
Phone: 340-693-1179
E-mail: simon.pittman@noaa.gov

Timothy Battista
NOAA - Center for Coastal Monitoring & Assessment
1305 East West Highway
SSMC 4, 9th floor
Silver Spring , Maryland 20910
United States
Phone: 301-713-3028
Fax: 301-713-4384
E-mail: tim.battista@noaa.gov