Early Detection of Invasive Species in Big Bend National Park: Remote Sensing and GIS Strategies

Young KE, Schrader TS, Boykin KG, Caldwell C, Roemer GW. 2007. Early Detection of Invasive Species in Big Bend National Park: Remote Sensing and GIS Strategies. U.S. Geological Survey. Las Cruces, NM

Researchers evaluated the efficacy of using remotely sensed and GIS data as tools to support early detection of invasive plants in Big Bend National Park (BIBE). Four objectives for this study are to: 1) identify a subset of invasive plant species that occur within BIBE that may be useful for landscape scale modeling, 2) create spatially explicit models of predicted distributions of targeted species using remotely sensed and GIS data, 3) conduct a risk assessment of areas for invasive plant incursion, and 4) conduct computer simulations of common field sampling designs to evaluate efficient ground survey methods to detect invasive species in BIBE. Eight invasive plant species were chosen for predictive modeling: giant reed (Arundo donax), Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), Lehmann’s lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana), horehound (Marrubium vulgare), buffelgrass (Pennisteum ciliare), Russian thistle (Salsola kali), Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense), and saltcedar (Tamarix sp.).

Type
Unpublished Report
Authors
Young, Kendal; Schrader, T.; Boykin, Kenneth; Caldwell, Colleen; Roemer, Gary
Date of Issue
2007-05
Publisher
U.S. Geological Survey
Units
BIBE
Keywords
Exotic/Invasive Species - Plants, Plant Communities, Plant Studies

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