Leveraging remote sensing and crowd-sourced biodiversity data for enhanced plant functional trait mapping
= 0.22-0.38; relative RMSE ≈ 12-18%), consistent with the top-of-canopy sensitivity of optical sensors. By providing spatially explicit trait distributions and their higher-order moments, our findings deliver improved detail for understanding biodiversity patterns and ecosystem functioning and provide landscape-scale insights into trait-mediated coexistence. This work enhances ecological modeling and offers a foundation for assessing the impacts of global environmental changes, advancing our understanding of plant functional diversity's role in ecosystem resilience and sustainability.
Authors
- Teja Kattenborn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7381-3828)
- Philip A. Townsend (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7003-8774)
- Gerhard Boenisch
- Fabian Schneider (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1791-2041)
- Álvaro Moreno‐Martínez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2990-7768)
- Miguel D. Mahecha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3031-613X)
- Gustau Camps‐Valls (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1683-2138)
- Nuno Carvalhais (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0465-1436)
- Ryan Pavlick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8772-3508)
- Benjamin Dechant (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5171-2364)
- José E. Adsuara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3842-965X)
- Jens Kattge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1022-8469)
- Emma Izquierdo‐Verdiguier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2179-1262)
- Jordi Muñoz-Marı́ (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3014-3921)
- Ethan E. Butler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3482-1950)
- Grégory Duveiller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6471-8404)
- Daniel Lusk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9745-5011)
- Francesco Maria Sabatini
- Peter M. van Bodegom
- Josep Peñuelas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7215-0150)
Institutions
- Leiden University (NL)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (US)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Universitat de València (ES)
- University of Freiburg (DE)
- Aarhus University (DK)
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (DE)
- Parc Científic de la Universitat de València (ES)
- Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (ES)
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (DE)
- Leipzig University (DE)
- University of Bologna (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-04-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72111-6
- Primary Topic
- Remote Sensing in Agriculture
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- California Institute of Technology
- European Commission
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Deutsches Zentrum für integrative Biodiversitätsforschung Halle-Jena-Leipzig
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación