Abstract
The GAC (Global Area Coverage) by the NOAA-AVHRR satellites represents an excellent data set for studying global and regional patterns of variations in surface conditions driven in part by climatic variation. In this pilot study we examined whether biodiversity ‘hotspots’, defined from peak concentrations of neoendemics as well as geographically relict forms, differ in ecoclimatic stability from surrounding areas under present-day climatic conditions. Coefficients of variation of the ratio between brightness surface temperature (Ts) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) based upon 10 years' monthly composited scenes of tropical Africa revealed distinctive geographical patterns of interannual variability in surface conditions. Regions with a predominance of old species are characterized by spatial uniformity in the ecoclimatic variability, while regions where rapidly radiating groups dominate are spatially complex in this respect. However, the exact ‘hotspots’, with peak concentrations of endemic species, are characterized by a local reduction in ecoclimatic variability, or placement on the boundary to a stable region. This relationship was supported statistically by comparing ecoclimatic profiles across montane forests representing ‘hotspots’, and those of other montane forests. It is suggested that, because of interactions between prevailing atmospheric flows, topography and vegetation, the impact of extreme weather is moderated locally. The correlation between current stability and aggregates of neoendemics as well as old relics indicate that local moderation of climatic extremes persist through shifting climatic periods, permitting populations of unique species to survive in these places. The results are used to identify study sites for better ground truthing and for paleoclimatological studies which may be useful for more thorough studies of these relationships.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berger, A., Imbrie, J., Hays, J., Kukla, G. and Saltzman, B. (eds) (1984) Milankovitch and Climate. Dortrecht: Reidel.
Brown, K.S., Jr (1987) Biogeography and evolution of neotropical butterflies. In Biogeography and Quaternary History in Tropical America (T.C. Whitmore and G.T. Prance, eds) pp. 66–104. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Bruijnzeel, L.A. (1990) Hydrology of Moist Tropical Forests and Effects of Conservation: a State on Knowledge Review. Amsterdam: UNESCO and Free University.
Carlson, T.N., Todd, J.K., Benjamin, S.G. and Cooper, J.N. (1981) Remote estimation of surface energy balance, moisture availability and thermal inertia. J. Appl. Meteorol. 2, 67–87.
Diaz, H.F. and Markgraf, V. (eds) (1992) El Niño: Historical and Paleoclimatic Aspects of the Southern Oscillation. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Dinesen, L., Hansen, L., Lehmberg, T., Svendsen, J.O. and Fjeldså, J. (1994) A new genus and species of perdicine bird (Phasianidae, Perdicini) from Tanzania, a relict form with Indo-Malayan affinities. Ibis 136, 2–11.
Fjeldså, J. (1994) Geographical patterns for relict and young birds in Africa and South America and implications for conservation priorities. Biodiv. Cons. 3, 207–26.
Fjeldså, J. (1995) Geographical patterns of neoendemic and relict species of Andean forest birds: the significance of ecological stability areas. In Biodiversity and Conservation of Neotropical Montane Forests (S.P. Churchill et al., eds) pp. 89–102. New york: New york Botanical Gardens.
Fjeldså, J. and Lovett, J.C. (1997) Geographical patterns of old and young species in African forest biota: the significance of specific montane areas as evolutionary centres. Biodiv. Conserv. 6, 325–46.
Fjeldså, J. and Rabøl, J. (in press) Variation in avian communities between isolated units of the Eastern Arc Montane Forests, Tanzania. Gerfaut.
Gentry, A. and Dodson, C. (1987) Diversity and biogeography of neotropical vascular epiphytes. Ann. Miss. Bot. Gard. 74, 205–33.
Haffer, J. (1997) Alternative models of vertebrate speciation in Amazonia: an overview. Biodiv. Conserv. 6, 451–76.
Hamilton, A.C. (1982) Environmental History of East Africa: a Study of the Quaternary. London: Academic Press.
Hedberg, O. (1986) Origins of the Afroalpine flora. In High Altitude Tropical Biogeography (F. Vuilleumier and M. Monasterio, eds) pp. 443–68. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Holben, B.N., Tucker, C.J. and Fan, C.J. (1980) Spectral assessment for soybean leaf area and leaf biomass. Photogr. Engng. Remote Sensing 46, 651–56.
Hooghiemstra, H., Melica, J.L., Berger, A. and Shackleton, N.J. (1993) Frequency spectra and paleoclimatic variability of the high-resolution 30–1450 ka Funza I pollen record (Eastern Cordillera, Colombia). Quat. Sci. Rev. 12, 141–56.
ICBP (1992) Putting Biodiversity on the Map: Priority Areas for Global Conservation. Cambridge, UK: ICBP.
Imbrie, J., Hays, J.D., Martinson, D.G., McIntyre, A., Mix, A.C., Morley, J.J., Pisias, N.G., Prell, W.L. and Shackleton, N.J. (1984) The orbital theory of Pleistocene climate: support from a revised chronology of the marine delta 18O record. In Milankovitch and Climate (A. Berger et al., eds) pp. 269–305. Dortrecht: Reidel.
Lambin, E.F. (1995) Change detection at multiple temporal scales: seasonal and annual variations in landscape attributes. Photogr. Engng Remote Sensing.
Lambin, E.F. and Ehrlich, D. (1995) Combining vegetation indices and surface temperature for land-cover mapping at broad spatial scales. Int. J. Remote Sensing 16, 573–9.
Lambin, E.F. and Ehrlich, D. (in press) The surface temperature-vegetation index space for land cover and land-cover change analysis. Int. J. Remote Sensing.
Long, A. (1994) The importance of tropical montane cloud forests for endemic and threatened birds. In Tropical Montane Cloud Forests (L.S. Hamilton, J.O. Juvik and F.N. Scatena, eds) pp. 79–106. New York: Springer-Verlag (Ecology).
Long, A.J., Crosby, M., Stattersfield, A.J. and Wege, D.C. (1996) Towards a global map of biodiversity: patterns in the distribution of restricted-range birds. Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters 5, 281–304.
Lovett, J.C. and Friis, I. (in press) Some patterns of endemism in the tropical north east and eastern African woody flora. AETFAT III.
Lovett, J.C. and Wasser, S.K. (1993) Biogeography and Ecology of the Rainforests of Eastern Africa. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Lovett, J.C., Bridson, D.M. and Thomas, W. (1988) A preliminary list of the moist forest angiosperm flora of Mwanihana Forest Reserve, Tanzania. Ann. Miss. Bot. Gard. 75, 874–85.
Malingreau, J.P. and Belward, A.S. (1994) Recent activities in the European Community for the creation and analysis of global AVHRR data sets. Int. J. Remote Sensing 15, 3397–416.
Maltby, E. (1986) Waterlogged Wealth: Why Waste the World's Wet Places? London: Earthscan.
Monod, T. (1957) Les grandes divisions Chorologiques de l'Afrique. Publ. 24. London: CCTA.
Nicholson, S.E. (1994) Recent rainfall fluctuations in Africa and their relationship to past conditions over the continent. Holocene 4, 121–31.
Philander, S.G. (1989) El Niño, la Niña and the Southern Oscillation. London: Academic Press.
Planet, W.G. (1988) Data extraction and calibration of TRIOS-N-NOAA radiometers, NOAA Technical Memorandum NESS 101-Rev. 1, US. Washington, DC: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Prell, W.L., Hutson, W.H., Williams, D.F., Bé, A.W.H., Geitzenauer, K. and Molfino, B. (1980) Surface circulation of the Indian Ocean during the last glacial maximum, approximately 18,000 yr B.P. Quat. Res. 14, 309–36.
Prentice, C., Sykes, M.T., Lautenschlager, M., Harrison, S.P., Denissenko, O. and Bartlein, P.J. (1993) Modelling global vegetation patterns and terrestrial carbon storage at the last glacial maximum. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. Lett. 3, 67–76.
Roy, M.S., Silva, J.M.C., Arctander, P., García-Moreno, J. and Fjeldså, J. (in press) The role of montane regions in the speciation of South American and African Birds. Avian Molecular Evolution and Systematics (D.P. Mindell, ed.) pp. 321–39. Washington DC: Acad Press.
Shackleton, N.J., Berger, A. and Peltier, W.R. (1990) An alternative astronomical calibration of the lower Pleistocene timescale based on ODP Site 677. Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin. Earth Sci. 81, 251–61.
Sibley, C.G. and J.E. Ahlquist (1990) Phylogeny and classification of birds. A study in molecular evolution. New Haven, London: Yale University Press.
Stevens, G.C. (1992) The elevational gradient in altitudinal range: an extension of Rapoport's latitudinal rule to altitude. Amer. Nat. 133, 240–56.
Stuart, S.N., Jensen, F.P., Brøgger-Jensen, S. and Miller, R.I. (1993) The zoogeography of the montane forest avifauna of eastern Tanzania. In Biogeography and Ecology of the Rain Forests of Eastern Africa (J.C. Lovett and S.K. Wasser, eds) pp. 208–28. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Tucker, C.G.F., Townshend, J.R.G. and Goff, T.E. (1985) African land-cover classification using satellite data. Science N.Y., 227.
Vrba, E.S. (1993) Mammal evolution in the African Neogene and a new look at the Great American Interchange. In Biological Relationships between Africa and South America (P. Goldblatt, ed.) pp. 393–432. New Haven, London: Yale University Press.
White, F. (1983) The vegetation of Africa. Paris: UNESCO.
WWF and IUCN (1994) Centres of plant diversity. A guide and strategy for their conservation. Vol. 1 (Europe, Africa, South West Asia and The Middle East). Cambridge, UK: IUCN Publications Unit.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fjeldsaå, J., Ehrlich, D., Lambin, E. et al. Are biodiversity ‘hotspots’ correlated with current ecoclimatic stability? A pilot study using the NOAA-AVHRR remote sensing data. Biodiversity and Conservation 6, 401–422 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018364708207
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018364708207