A study of seasonal dynamics of herbaceous plant communities in Khakassia using ground-based and satellite data

Abstract

Abstract The present study addresses the seasonal dynamics of productivity and species composition of the meadow and steppe vegetation communities in Khakassia, determined using the ground-based and satellite data of 2017. The MODIS/Terra satellite data were used to analyze the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Land Surface Water Index (LSWI). The NDVI and LSWI were found to be related to the productivity of the meadow and steppe vegetation. The NDVI increased as the portion of the mesophyte grasses in the grass canopy became larger. The LSWI was higher in the steppe communities, which had lower projective coverage, with spots of bare soil, than in the meadow communities, with their abundant vegetation.