Impiego dei GIS per l’analisi di comunità ornitiche di un ambiente frammentato - A GIS analysis of avian communities in a fragmented habitat.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of GIS as an aid in the analysis of animal communities. In particular, GIS methodologies were used in the analysis of avian communities organisation in a fragmented landscape, in order to test their application as indicators of ecological quality. The analysis was carried out in two separate steps. First, an ecological characterisation of the study area (Orme river basin, Florence) was realised through the analysis of LANDSAT satellite images. Secondly, the presence/absence of avian species was assessed in 122 circular sample areas (200 m diameter). The main environmental characteristic of the sample units were assessed using the remotely sensed data and were then compared with the composition of avian communities. The results showed the capability of remotely sensed data to correctly discriminate among different environmental typology to which different avian communities correspond. This study confirms the potentiality of the application of GIS and remote sensing in the analyses of animal communities.