The overall mean percentage of fruiting for over 3500 flowers observed in eight Estonian populations of a self-compatible clonal orchid Cyprzpedium calceolus over 11 years was 10.5%. The larger clones set relatively fewer fruits, otherwise the general pattern of fruiting was close to random, despite several significant local deviations from random pollination. There is no cost associated with the fruit-set at the clonal level. The fruit-set which appears pollinator limited was not correlated with the frequency of seedlings in a population. Data presented provide information on the relationship between fruit and seedling production in orchids. The sites suitable for seedling establishment are characterized as having relatively more extensive moss cover, less vascular plant cover, more moisture and better light conditions. Recruitment is concluded to be microsite limited, and the fruit-set to be without significant influence on the fitness of populations.

The red list has become a ubiquitous tool in the conservation of species. We analyzed contemporary trends in the threat levels of European orchids, in total 166 species characterized in 27 national red lists, in relation to their reproductive biology and growth form, distribution area, and land cover where they occur. We found that species in central Europe are more threatened than those in the northern, southern, or Atlantic parts of Europe, while species were least threatened in southern Europe. Nectarless and tuberous species are significantly more threatened than nectariferous and rhizomatous taxa. Land cover (ratios of artificial land cover, area of pastures and grasslands, forests and inland wetlands) also significantly impacted the threat level. A bigger share of artificial land cover increases threat, and a bigger share of pasture and grassland lowers it. Unexpectedly, a bigger share of inland wetland area in a country increased threat level, which we believe may be due to the threatened nature of wetlands themselves relative to other natural land cover types. Finally, species occurring in multiple countries are on average less threatened. We believe that large‐scale analysis of current IUCN national red lists as based on their specific categories and criteria may particularly inform the development of coordinated regional or larger‐scale management strategies. In this case, we advocate for a coordinated EU protection and restoration strategy particularly aimed at central European orchids and those occurring in wetland area.

Abstract. Vegetative dormancy occurs in many plant families, but its evolutionary context remains a mystery. We asked whether vegetative dormancy is an adaptive response to environmental stress and environmental stochasticity in certain long-lived plant species. We conducted an in situ experimental study in two and three populations of Cypripedium calceolus and Cephalanthera longifolia, respectively, in Estonia. Plants were defoliated, shaded, or simply observed at the beginning of the growing season in 2002 and 2003, and monitored demographically through 2008. We assessed links between fitness and vegetative dormancy using stochastic life table response experiments (SLTREs), in which the impact of treatment on the log stochastic population growth rate (a ¼ log k S ) via shifts in projection matrix transitions in treated plants relative to controls was used to assess the fitness impacts of treatment-induced life history responses. In Cypripedium, the observed lifespans of individuals that became vegetatively dormant in 2003/04 was significantly higher than plants that had not done so (P ¼ 0.050). Defoliation and shading resulted in lower levels of flowering in both species. Both defoliation and shading decreased a relative to controls in Cypripedium and Cephalanthera. Defoliation-and shading-induced shifts in transitions involving vegetative dormancy were generally associated with significantly positive SLTRE contributions to Da, and shifts in the standard deviations of demographic rates generally contributed little to Da. Thus, vegetative dormancy is likely to be an adaptive response to environmental stress and stochasticity. Further work on the genetic basis to vegetative dormancy will clarify whether enough heritability may have existed in the past, or exists now, to support vegetative dormancy as an adaptation.

Species monitoring is the regular observation and recording of changes in status and trend of species in a certain territory. The primary purpose of monitoring is to collect information that can be used to examine the outcomes of management actions and to guide management decisions. Here, we analyze plant species monitoring to provide a first overview on efforts made to monitor trends in vascular plant biodiversity in Europe. Our study is based on an assessment of 63 plant monitoring schemes from Europe (collected into a database ''DaEuMon''), and 33 schemes found with literature screening. Altogether, the monitoring schemes cover 354 vascular plant species, of which 69 are listed in Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive (= EU protected species; Annex II includes 420 species). In most cases, an EU protected plant species occurs in 3 countries but is monitored in only 1 country. Scientific interest was the main reason for launching a monitoring scheme in 21% of the schemes from the database, but in 58% of the schemes from the literature survey. The current schemes collect insufficient data particularly on the dynamics of the extent and distribution pattern of species. We conclude that planning to publish monitoring data when designing a scheme would improve the quality and general effect of monitoring programs. The needs to cover the taxonomic diversity and the integration of different scales, as well as the inclusion of monitoring in the context of different types of sustainable management would require a strong emphasis in the development of monitoring schemes.

Environmental stratifications provide the framework for efficient surveillance and monitoring of biodiversity and ecological resources, as well as modelling exercises. An obstacle for agricultural landscape monitoring in Estonia has been the lack of a framework for the objective selection of monitoring sites. This paper describes the construction and testing of the Environmental Stratification of Estonia (ESE). Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to select the variables that capture the most amount of variation. Seven climate variables and topography were selected and subsequently subjected to the ISODATA clustering routine in order to produce relatively homogeneous environmental strata. The ESE contains eight strata, which have been described in terms of soil, land cover and climatic parameters. In order to assess the reliability of the stratification procedure for the selection of monitoring sites, the ESE was compared with the previous map of Landscape Regions of Estonia and correlated with five environmental datasets. All correlations were significant. The stratification has therefore already been used to extend the current series of samples in agricultural landscapes into a more statistically robust series of monitoring sites. The potential for applying climate change scenarios to assess the shifts in the strata and associated ecological impacts is also examined.