sPectra – The major dimensions of plant spectral variation

Project summary

More and more, ‘spectra’ of light’s reflectance across wavelengths from the surface of plant tissues are becoming an essential tool for monitoring plant function over large scales, especially when measured from aircraft or satellites. However, the range of ways that real plant spectra vary are still not well understood, hindering their interpretation. The sPectra synthesis group funded by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) brings together large, diverse datasets of leaf and canopy spectra to identify and interpret the major dimensions of plant spectral variation.