Relatedness and scale dependency in very high resolution digital elevation models derivatives

In the field of landscape genetics, environmental variables are needed to assess the influence of the environment on the spatial distribution of the genetic information of animals or plants. However, measuring variables (e.g. temperature, precipitation) at locations of each sampled individuals is time consuming. Landscape geneticists therefore often use variables from remote sensors such as existing satellite imagery and digital elevation models (DEMs). From these DEMs, many variables related to morphology, solar radiation or hydrology can be computed. However, their spatial resolution is not high enough when studying the local adaptation of organisms to their local environment.