Spectral variability hypothesis (original) (raw)

The Spectral Variability Hypothesis (SVH) states that spatial variability in the reflectance of vegetated surfaces relates to plant species richness. It has been originally coined by Palmer et al. (2000) and states that "species richness will be positively related to any objective measure (e.g. standard deviation) of the variation in the spectral characteristics of a remotely sensed image". The underlying assumption is that habitats differ in reflectance and if there are more habitats in an area, higher numbers of species are to be expected. The hypothesis has later also been termed the Spectral Variation Hypothesis. With high spatial resolution, variability in reflectance may also be a direct expression of plant individuals belonging to different species. The Spectral Variability Hypothes