A remote sensing and GIS-based model of habitats and biodiversity in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

We used remotely sensed data and geographical information systems (GIS) to categorize habitats, then determined the relationship between remotely sensed habitat categorizations and species distribution patterns. Three forest types and six meadow types in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA, were classified using Landsat TM data. All plant species with 5% cover or greater, 31% of the butterfly species, and 20% of the bird species exhibited significant differences in distribution among meadow types. Sites of highest species richness coincided for plants, birds, and butterflies and were found in mesic meadows.