We hypothesize that land cover is an important factor explaining the variability of SOM content. In addition, we also hypothesize that the multiple stressors associated with urbanization will be manifested as an urban to wildland gradient in SOM content. Three alternative methods were used to estimate regional SOM content. We used regression analysis to predict SOM content as a function of other spatially distributed variables. A jackknifing procedure was used to estimate the error rate of each approach.
Further analyses are currently in progress.
Hence this project will also use the field data on the fractional values for other land surface cover types in the 200 survey plots to perform multiple regressions of weighted mean NDVI with both biovolume and cover of other surface types. For decades palynologists have been attempting to more closely equate pollen rain with its source vegetation. The study of pollen deposited on a modern surface represents perhaps the key aspect of these attempts. By comparing the known extant flora with its pollen rain, scientists can more clearly see how vegetation is palynologically represented. 200 Point Survey represents a unique opportunity to expand on these sorts of studies.