Bakacsy László, Zakar Tomás
Department of Plant Biology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, Szeged, 6726, Hungary.
Institute of Photonics and Electronics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Chaberská 1014/57 182 52 Praha 8, Kobylisy, Czech Republic.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 7;15(1):28889. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-14034-8.
The phenomenon of biological invasions represents one of the most significant threats to biodiversity. A fundamental aspect of combating invasive plant species is the comprehension of the spatial and temporal alterations in their population dynamics. One of the important habitats of the European Union is the Pannon sand grasslands in Hungary, which are primarily threatened by the invasive common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). The objective of this study was to ascertain the efficacy of drone imaging in examining the spatial patterns of milkweed shoots in comparison to ground survey data. To facilitate comparison, a survey was conducted on 12 milkweed populations in the Fülöpháza area of Kiskunság National Park. In each population, a 12-meter transect (comprising six contiguous 2 m × 2 m quadrats) was designated within which the positions of the shoots were recorded with centimeter accuracy through ground surveys. The individual shoots were marked on images captured from an altitude of 20 m using a drone. The results indicated that the number of shoots identified in the drone images was slightly lower than in the ground surveys; however, a positive correlation was observed between the two datasets (r = 0.9594). A strong positive correlation was evident between the ground and drone surveys in terms of both the average distance between shoots and the observed pattern (r = 0.933 and r = 0.9146). In light of these findings, it can be concluded that drone imaging represents an effective method for examining the size and pattern of populations. Consequently, it may prove to be a valuable tool for the accurate planning of invasive species management in conservation efforts and the monitoring of the effectiveness of treatments.
生物入侵现象是对生物多样性最重大的威胁之一。应对入侵植物物种的一个基本方面是理解其种群动态的时空变化。欧盟的重要栖息地之一是匈牙利的潘诺尼亚沙地草原，其主要受到入侵性的普通马利筋（Asclepias syriaca）的威胁。本研究的目的是确定无人机成像与地面调查数据相比，在检查马利筋嫩枝空间格局方面的有效性。为便于比较，在基什孔萨格国家公园富勒法扎地区的12个马利筋种群中进行了一项调查。在每个种群中，划定了一条12米长的样带（由六个相邻的2米×2米样方组成），通过地面调查以厘米精度记录嫩枝的位置。使用无人机从20米高度拍摄的图像上对各个嫩枝进行了标记。结果表明，无人机图像中识别出的嫩枝数量略低于地面调查；然而，两个数据集之间存在正相关（r = 0.9594）。就嫩枝之间的平均距离和观察到的格局而言，地面调查和无人机调查之间都存在很强的正相关（r = 0.933和r = 0.9146）。根据这些发现，可以得出结论，无人机成像代表了一种检查种群大小和格局的有效方法。因此，它可能被证明是一种有价值的工具，可用于在保护工作中准确规划入侵物种管理以及监测处理效果。
