Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Suitability Mapping of Termite Habitat in the African Savanna: A Case Study of the Lowveld in Kruger National Park

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dc.authoridOZDES, MEHMET/0000-0003-3538-8861
dc.authoridSmith, Audrey/0000-0003-1278-8889
dc.authorscopusid48161440600
dc.authorscopusid57382869400
dc.authorscopusid57195633924
dc.authorscopusid57192425769
dc.authorwosidOZDES, MEHMET/R-8352-2018
dc.contributor.authorÖzşahin, Emre
dc.contributor.authorÖzdeş, Mehmet
dc.contributor.authorSmith, Audrey C.
dc.contributor.authorYang, Di
dc.date.accessioned2023-04-20T08:02:30Z
dc.date.available2023-04-20T08:02:30Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.departmentFakülteler, Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi, Coğrafya Bölümü
dc.departmentFakülteler, Çorlu Mühendislik Fakültesi, Çevre Mühendisliği Bölümü
dc.description.abstractTermites (Isoptera) are among the most globally dominant macroinvertebrates in terrestrial environments and are an ecologically important group of soil biota in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. These insects function as essential ecosystem engineers that facilitate nutrient cycling, especially in the regulation of the physical and chemical properties of soil and the decomposition of organic matter that maintains heterogeneity in tropical and subtropical ecosystems. Termites, like all living organisms, require certain environmental parameters to support the distribution, abundance, and activities of the species. South Africa's Kruger National Park (KNP)-one of the most important protected areas in the world and a popular safari tourist destination-is an extraordinary savanna ecosystem in which termite mounds, or termitaria, are widely distributed. A range of biotic and abiotic factors found in the natural environment of KNP provide highly suitable ecological conditions for termite habitat range, and thus the development of termitaria. Previous research has shown that the most important factors affecting habitat suitability for termites and the geographic distribution of termitaria include climate factors, land cover, and other environmental characteristics such as soil composition and plant-litter biomass. However, the specific environmental mechanisms that regulate termite occurrence and the spatial distribution of termitaria in KNP are not fully understood, especially in the context of climate and land-cover changes. The present study examines the relationship between the spatial distribution of termitaria and selected climate and environmental factors in the Kruger Lowveld region, which contains one of the largest numbers of termitaria in KNP. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, 8200 training points of termitaria occurrence were collected throughout the study area to train classifiers and produce land-cover-classification maps for the Kruger Lowveld region of interest. We then applied a hybrid approach through the integration of remote sensing (RS) and a GIS-based analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and frequency-ratio (FR) methods to model the relationship between the spatial distribution of termitaria and selected environmental variables and to produce suitability maps. To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to examine the influence of combined sets of environmental attributes on the spatial distribution of termitaria in the Lowveld region of KNP. The results indicate that moderately and highly suitable conditions for termite range tolerance and termitaria development are correlated with undulating plains with clay soils, greater distance to drainage streams, high solar radiation, and low depth of groundwater. The findings of this study shed light on the need for future research that investigates the impact of climate and land-cover changes on termite habitat range and spatial distribution and that can inform park managers and policymakers about Kruger National Park and other protected areas with similar environmental conditions.
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/land11060803
dc.identifier.issn2073-445X
dc.identifier.issue6en_US
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-85131524734
dc.identifier.scopusqualityQ2
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/land11060803
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11776/10972
dc.identifier.volume11
dc.identifier.wosWOS:000819623800001
dc.identifier.wosqualityQ2
dc.indekslendigikaynakWeb of Science
dc.indekslendigikaynakScopus
dc.institutionauthorÖzşahin, Emre
dc.institutionauthorÖzdeş, Mehmet
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.relation.ispartofLand
dc.relation.publicationcategoryMakale - Uluslararası Hakemli Dergi - Kurum Öğretim Elemanıen_US
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subjectTermites
dc.subjectRemote Sensing
dc.subjectKruger National Park
dc.subjectLowveld
dc.subjectSavanna Ecosystem
dc.subjectSuitability Mapping
dc.subjectGis
dc.subjectFr
dc.subjectAhp
dc.subjectHybrid Methods
dc.subjectMacrotermes-Natalensis
dc.subjectSpatial-Distribution
dc.subjectSoil Invertebrates
dc.subjectMounds
dc.subjectIsoptera
dc.subjectConservation
dc.subjectIntensification
dc.subjectVulnerability
dc.subjectBiodiversity
dc.subjectAssemblages
dc.titleRemote Sensing and GIS-Based Suitability Mapping of Termite Habitat in the African Savanna: A Case Study of the Lowveld in Kruger National Park
dc.typeArticle

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