Rarefaction theory applied to satellite imagery for relating spectral and species diversity

Species rarefaction curves have long been used for estimating the expected number of species as a function of sampling effort. Nonetheless, sampling species based on standard plant inventories represents a cost expensive approach. In this view, remotely sensed information may be straightforwardly used for predicting species rich sites on the strength of the Spectral Variation Plypothesis which predicts that sites with a higher spectral (environmental) variability will show a higher species diversity. In this paper we present spectral rarefaction, i.e. the rarefaction of reflectance values derived from satellite imagery, as an effective tool for predicting bio-diverse sites.