Data from remote sensing are often used as proxies to quantify biological processes, especially at large geographical scales. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is the most frequently used proxy for primary productivity. Assuming a direct, positive interrelation between primary and secondary production in terrestrial habitats, NDVI is often used to predict food availability for higher trophic levels. However, the relationship between NDVI and arthropod biomass has rarely been tested. In this study, we analyzed extensive datasets of arthropod communities from semi-natural grasslands in central Europe to test the relationship between arthropod biomass of consumer trophic levels (“herbivores,” “mixed,” and “carnivores”) in grassland communities and NDVI during the spring season. We found that arthropod biomass generally increased with NDVI. The same positive relationship between biomass and NDVI was observed for each individual trophic level. Cross-correlation analyses did not show statistically significant lags between the NDVI and biomass of herbivores and carnivores. All in all, our study provides correlational evidence for the positive relation of primary and secondary productivity in temperate terrestrial habitats during spring. Moreover, it supports the applicability of NDVI data as a suitable habitat-specific proxy for the food availability of insectivores during spring.

来自遥感的数据通常被用作量化生物过程的代理，尤其是在较大的地理尺度上。归一化植被指数（NDVI）是主要生产力的最常用替代指标。假设陆地生境的初级和次级生产之间存在直接，正的相互关系，NDVI通常被用来预测较高营养水平的食物供应。但是，NDVI和节肢动物生物量之间的关系很少得到检验。在这项研究中，我们分析了来自中欧半天然草原的节肢动物群落的大量数据，以检验草地群落中消费者营养水平（“食草动物”，“混合的”和“食肉动物”）的节肢动物生物量与NDVI的关系。春天的季节。我们发现节肢动物生物量通常随NDVI增加。对于每个营养级别，生物量和NDVI之间存在相同的正相关关系。互相关分析未显示出NDVI与食草动物和食肉动物生物量之间的统计显着滞后。总而言之，我们的研究为春季温带陆地生境中初级生产力和次级生产力的正相关提供了相关证据。此外，它支持NDVI数据的适用性，作为春季食虫动物食物供应的合适生境特定代理。总而言之，我们的研究为春季温带陆地生境中初级生产力和次级生产力的正相关提供了相关证据。此外，它支持NDVI数据的适用性，作为春季食虫动物食物供应的合适生境特定代理。总而言之，我们的研究为春季温带陆地生境中初级生产力和次级生产力的正相关提供了相关证据。此外，它支持NDVI数据的适用性，作为春季食虫动物食物供应的合适生境特定代理。