Integrating spectroscopic remote sensing with ecology and the tree of life to infer belowground process, detect forest pathogens and monitor plant biodiversity across ecosystems

On behalf of the NSF ASCEND Biology Integration Institute and the 2020 NASA World Biodiversity Forum team

With the revolutionary advances in spectroscopic remote sensing across spatial and temporal scales, opportunities to integrate spectral data with ecology and evolution abound. I present examples of how spectral data at leaf and canopy scales reveal phylogenetic and functional information that enables us to infer belowground microbial processes and enhances disease detection in forests. These advances, connected to the work of two international teams that are integrating spectral biology and biodiversity science, are critical to global monitoring of changes in Earth’s biodiversity for conservation and stewardship.