Ruth Weaver

Geostatistics, spatial rate of change analysis and boundary detection in plant ecology and biogeography

Over the past decade, biologists and ecologists rather than geographers have been primarily responsible for developments in spatial analysis and geostatistics that are of great potential importance to both biogeography and community/landscape ecology. These advances in geostatistics, rate of change analysis and boundary detection and their application to floristic and environmental data at the community scale are reviewed. Issues of scale, spatial autocorrelation and terminology are introduced. Approaches to the description of spatial pattern in plant assemblages and environmental data, the quantification and removal of spatial autocorrelation, the spatial interpolation of data, techniques for the description and analysis of spatial rate of change and finally boundary detection are all reviewed in turn. Despite the development of new methods, the extent to which they have been applied more widely within both plant ecology and biogeography is limited. The paper concludes that perhaps the time is right for biogeographers to reassess the potential significance of these areas for the subject.

What is the Use of Fieldwork? Conceptions of Students and Staff in Geography and Geology

This paper explores conceptions of the purpose of fieldwork held by undergraduates and academic staff in the disciplines of geography and geology. Phenomenographic analysis of written data reveals six qualitatively distinct conceptions broadly classified as ‘fragmented’ and ‘cohesive’. While considerable commonality in conceptions exists across subjects and stages of study, variations appear to reflect underlying diversity in the aims and delivery of undergraduate fieldwork, and in the undergraduate populations themselves. In particular, the identification of apparent ‘mismatches’ between the conceptions held by students and academic staff has important implications for the design and delivery of undergraduate geography and geology fieldwork.

The Immersive Virtual Environment of the digital fulldome: Considerations of relevant psychological processes

One of the most recent additions to the range of Immersive Virtual Environments has been the digital fulldome. However, not much empirical research has been conducted to explore its potential and benefits over other types of presentation formats. In this review we provide a framework within which to examine the properties of fulldome environments and compare them to those of other existing immersive digital environments. We review the state-of-the-art of virtual reality technology, and then survey core areas of psychology relevant to experiences in the fulldome, including visual perception, attention, memory, social factors and individual differences. Building on the existing research within these domains, we propose potential directions for empirical investigation that highlight the great potential of the fulldome in teaching, learning and research.

Identification of the spectral characteristics of British semi-natural upland vegetation using direct ordination: a case study from Dartmoor, UK

The direct ordination technique Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) is applied to the examination of the relationships between the floristic composition of semi-natural vegetation and its spectral reflectance. Paired measurements of floristic and spectral characteristics, the latter being measured using a portable field spectrometer, were collected at ground level for a range of upland semi-natural vegetation within two study sites on Dartmoor, south-west England. The spectral data were converted to simulate a Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) bandset. Both floristic and spectral data sets were then jointly ordinated using CCA. A sequence of individual species changes along the first ordination axis was identified that showed a strong correspondence with variation in the simulated CASI wavebands covering the 736 nm to 870 nm wavelengths. A significant relationship between first axis CCA scores for quadrats and their estimated total percentage vegetation cover was also identified. Although UK National Vegetation Classification (NVC) categories corresponded to a general sequence of plant community types along the first CCA axis, with the possible exception of the U20 Pteridium aquilinum-dominated community, it proved impossible to demonstrate any close link between any specific plant community type and a distinct set of spectral characteristics because of the continuum nature of the vegetation. The second axis of the CCA showed no interpretable relationship with variation in floristic/spectral data and this was confirmed further by use of Detrended Canonical Correspondence Analysis (DCCA). Possibilities for further research into floristic/spectral data using CCA/DCCA are discussed.

A biogeographical study of plant communities and environmental gradients on South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Abstract Plant community types and underlying environmental gradients in the Outer Hebrides have not been described in detail, although a number of general accounts of the flora and vegetation exist. Satellite imagery was used to locate a transect for phytosociological survey across the island of South Uist. Species cover and a range of environmental variables were described for a total of 212 quadrats along this transect. Sixteen plant community types were identified using Two Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) and the prevailing environmental gradients were determined using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CANOCO). The communities were related to the National Vegetation Classification of the British Isles and general plant communities previously described for the Outer Hebrides. The vegetational history of the transect area was also described from pollen analysis of a core obtained from Lake Hellisdale on the transect. The position of these 16 community types along the environmental gradients i...

Allochthonous and autochthonous mire deposits, slope instability and palaeoenvironmental investigations in the Borve Valley, Barra, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

This paper suggests that sediment depth-age anomalies, and the lithological and palaeoecological properties of a peat core from Borve mire on the Outer Hebridean island of Barra, reflect the episodic impacts of rapid mass-movement of superficial peats and mineral soils from the adjacent hillslopes in the period 3000 to 1750 14C years BP. Alternative explanations such as mismeasurement of radiocarbon or contamination by floods, are thought less likely. The research implies that there is a general need for caution in the interpretation of mire deposits from sites which are adjacent to steep peat-covered hillslopes and which have not been investigated with the support of substantial radiocarbon and lithological studies programmes. The environmental and vegetational history of this exposed and isolated Atlantic island is shown to have not been one of treeless homogeneity. A variety of deciduous and coniferous tree species colonized early in the Holocene, with distinctive birch-hazel woodland developing at one point in time. The landscape became increasingly treeless in the Bronze Age, with most but not all trees having been lost by the Medieval period. Valley side peats provide palynological evidence of pastoral and arable farming on poor soils in the Dark Age-Early Medieval period, at sites beyond the present limits of cultivation.

Geographical information systems and remote sensing in land use planning: an introduction

Abstract The role of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) within land use planning and applied geography is introduced. Each of the following papers is briefly summarized and several general conclusions are drawn about the role of GIS/RS in applied geography over the next decade.

Introducing objective tests and OMR‐based student assessment: A case study

Abstract This paper describes the process by which objective‐question tests, using an OMR, were introduced into a number of first‐year geography modules at the University of Plymouth. It discusses the rationale for such a move and some of the issues which have arisen. The paper goes on to present the results of various statistical tests, including a comparison of student performance in the objective‐question exams and in the traditional examination essays. A key aim was to determine whether individual students perform consistently across the two forms of assessment.

Spatial Learning and Wayfinding in an Immersive Environment: The Digital Fulldome

Previous work has examined whether immersive technologies can benefit learning in virtual environments, but the potential benefits of technology in this context are confounded by individual differences such as spatial ability. We assessed spatial knowledge acquisition in male and female participants using a technology not previously examined empirically: the digital fulldome. Our primary aim was to examine whether performance on a test of survey knowledge was better in a fulldome (N = 28, 12 males) relative to a large, flat screen display (N = 27, 13 males). Regression analysis showed that, compared to a flat screen display, males showed higher levels of performance on a test of survey knowledge after learning in the fulldome, but no benefit occurred for females. Furthermore, performance correlated with spatial visualization ability in male participants, but not in female participants. Thus, the digital fulldome is a potentially useful learning aid, capable of accommodating multiple users, but individual differences and use of strategy need to be considered.