@article{fdi:010048453,
  title = {{T}he variation of apparent crown size and canopy heterogeneity across lowland {A}mazonian forests},
  author = {{B}arbier, {N}. and {C}outeron, {P}ierre and {P}roisy, {C}hristophe and {M}alhi, {Y}. and {G}astellu-{E}tchegorry, {J}. {P}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{A}im {T}he size structure of a forest canopy is an important descriptor of the forest environment that may yield information on forest biomass and ecology. {H}owever, its variability at regional scales is poorly described or understood because of the still prohibitive cost of very high-resolution imagery as well as the lack of an appropriate methodology. {W}e here employ a novel approach to describe and map the canopy structure of tropical forests. {L}ocation {A}mazonia. {M}ethods {W}e apply {F}ourier transform textural ordination ({FOTO}) techniques to subsamples of very high-resolution satellite imagery freely available through virtual globe software (e.g. {G}oogle {E}arth ({R})) to determine two key structural variables: apparent mean crown size and heterogeneity in crown size. {A} similar approach is used with artificial forest canopy images generated by the light interaction model (discrete anisotropic radiative transfer, {DART}) using three-dimensional stand models. {T}he effects of sun and viewing angles are explored on both model and real data. {R}esults {I}t is shown that in the case of canopies dominated by a modal size class our approach can predict mean canopy size to an accuracy of 5%. {I}n {A}mazonia, we could evidence a clear macrostructure, despite considerable local variability. {A}pparent crown size indeed consistently increases from about 14 m in wet north-west {A}mazonia to more than 17 m for areas of intermediate dry season length (1-3 months) in south and east {A}mazonia, before decreasing again towards the ecotone with the {C}errado savanna biome. {T}his general trend reflects the known variation of other forest physiognomic properties (height) reported for {S}outh {A}merica and {A}frica. {S}ome regions show significantly greater canopy heterogeneity, a feature that may be related to substratum, perturbation rate and/or forest turnover rate. {M}ain conclusions {O}ur results demonstrate the feasibility and interest of large-scale assessment of rain forest canopy structure.},
  keywords = {{F}orest structure ; {F}ourier transform textural ordination ; rain forest ; remote sensing ; {S}outh {A}merica},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{G}lobal {E}cology and {B}iogeography},
  volume = {19},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {72--84},
  ISSN = {1466-822{X}},
  year = {2010},
  DOI = {10.1111/j.1466-8238.2009.00493.x},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010048453},
}