Multitemporal remotely sensed indices and a proposed integrated functional vegetation index (IFVI) to monitor holm-oak woods along a spatial gradient.

This work forms part of the studies on change detection, with special reference to the study of the functional character of plant ecosystems in relation to the anthropic impact and to the assessment of sensitivity to global changes. The study has been conducted in the Rome metropolitan area on populations of Quercus ilex L., an evergreen species typical of the Mediterranean environment. Remote sensing vegetation indices, NDVI, MSI, PRI-TM (Landsat 5 TM images) have been calculated, and through these a synthetic index called the Integrated Functional Vegetation Index (IFVI) has been developed. Temporal variations in IFVI in the spectral response of the holm-oak wood have also been analyzed in natural and urban sites in order to assess the response to natural stresses and to atmospheric pollution.