{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,13]],"date-time":"2025-10-13T14:13:38Z","timestamp":1760364818316,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,13]],"date-time":"2022-01-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1642032000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000038","name":"Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RGPIN-386183"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RGPIN-386183"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000038","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000196","name":"Canada Foundation for Innovation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["26492"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["26492"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000196","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"UTM Undergraduate Research Grant","award":["NA"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NA"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Efforts to monitor terrestrial decomposition dynamics at broad spatial scales are hampered by the lack of a cost-effective and scalable means to track the decomposition process. Recent advances in remote sensing have enabled the simulation of litter spectra throughout decomposition for grasses in general, yet unique decomposition pathways are hypothesized to create subtly different litter spectral signatures with unique ecosystem functional significance. The objectives of this study were to improve spectra\u2013decomposition linkages and thereby enable the more comprehensive monitoring of ecosystem processes such as nutrient and carbon cycles. Using close-range hyperspectral imaging, litter spectra and multiple decomposition metrics were concurrently monitored in four classes of naturally decayed litter under four decomposition treatments. The first principal component accounted for approximately 94% of spectral variation in the close-range imagery and was attributed to the progression of decomposition. Decomposition-induced spectral changes were moderately correlated with the leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio (R2 = 0.52) and sodium hydroxide extractables (R2 = 0.45) but had no correlation with carbon dioxide flux. Temperature and humidity strongly influenced the decomposition process but did not influence spectral variability or the patterns of surface decomposition. The outcome of the study is that litter spectra are linked to important metrics of decomposition and thus remote sensing could be utilized to assess decomposition dynamics and the implications for nutrient recycling at broad spatial scales. A secondary study outcome is the need to resolve methodological challenges related to inducing unique decomposition pathways in a lab environment. Improving decomposition treatments that mimic real-world conditions of temperature, humidity, insolation, and the decomposer community will enable an improved understanding of the impacts of climatic change, which are expected to strongly affect microbially mediated decomposition.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs14020370","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,14]],"date-time":"2022-01-14T03:14:03Z","timestamp":1642130043000},"page":"370","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Linking the Spectra of Decomposing Litter to Ecosystem Processes: Tandem Close-Range Hyperspectral Imagery and Decomposition Metrics"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0848-6634","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cameron","family":"Proctor","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of the Environment, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cedelle","family":"Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geography and Planning, Queens University, 99 University Ave, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tian","family":"Jin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gloria","family":"Lim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yuhong","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"653","DOI":"10.5194\/bg-12-653-2015","article-title":"Recent trends and drivers of regional sources and sinks of carbon dioxide","volume":"12","author":"Sitch","year":"2015","journal-title":"Biogeosciences"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3030","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2008.02.012","article-title":"PROSPECT-4 and 5: Advances in the leaf optical properties model separating photosynthetic pigments","volume":"112","author":"Feret","year":"2008","journal-title":"Remote Sens. 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