Identifying important areas for orchid conservation in Crete

Abstract

Crete is especially rich in orchids and their distribution is well known and documented by many floristic accounts. This information, however, is yet to be used to set conservation plans and priorities. We used MaxEnt incorporating both published and unpublished distribution data together with environmental variables to predict the potential distribution of orchids on Crete. The resulting probabilistic maps of species occurrence were used to identify the important areas for orchid conservation on the island. Sites prioritization was performed by applying a species weighting scheme, which was based on species niche breadth. The existence of ecological patterns determining site prioritization was determined using a regression tree analysis based on environmental variables and scores derived from Zonation analysis. The high importance sites were found on Mts Thripti, Ida and Lefka Ori, as well as at low altitude areas east of Heraklion and at the easternmost part of the island. Most of the variation in the site scores was explained by geological substrate, latitude and altitude. Based on the regression tree analysis, sites with the highest scores were at medium and high altitude areas, which are located at the interior of the island. These areas have soils mainly derived from limestones, ophiolites and deposits of calcareous rocks. The lack of a significant effect of vegetation type in explaining the distribution of high importance areas highlights the need for the establishment of micro-reserves for the conservation of orchids in Crete. Finally, endangered orchid species in need of specific conservation actions are indicated.

Determinants of orchid species diversity in world islands

“…To maximize returns on conservation efforts (Efimov, ; Feldman & Prat, ; Tsiftsis et al ., ) on specific islands or archipelagos, factors other than those considered here may be as important if not more so. Indeed, oceanic region did have a significant effect (Table ), so it follows that the generalizations should be carefully applied for each region separately.…”

Factors associated with the distributions of orchids in the Jeseníky Mountains, Czech Republic

“…Thus, understanding the main factors determining species diversity (Possingham and Wilson 2005) and identifying important areas for conservation (Tsiftsis et al 2011) is important because this is crucial for their survival. This especially holds for threatened groups such as orchids (Efimov 2011;Feldman and Prat 2011).…”

“…The orchid family is one of the largest and most diverse in taxa in the flowering plant kingdom, with estimates of 880 genera and about 20,000 to 35,000 species (Dressler 1993;Chase et al 2003;Cribb et al 2003;Tsiftsis et al 2011). Many characteristics, such as great species richness, their specific role in ecosystems or endangered situations make it crucial to explore the distribution and conservation status of Orchidaceae (Zhang et al 2015).…”

“…Despite the long history of studies on orchids, only a minute part of previous papers concerning potential and spatial distribution, niche conservatism, phytogeography, migration routes or conservation strategies of this taxonomic group included the use of species distribution models (e.g. Tsiftsis et al 2011;Angulo et al 2012;Kolanowska 2013;Wan et al 2014;Vogt-Schilb et al 2015;Hernandez-Ruiz et al 2016;Reina-Rodríguez et al 2016;Vollering et al 2016).…”

Extent and reasons for meadows in South Bohemia becoming unsuitable for orchids

“…Thus understanding the main factors determining species diversity is crucial for their survival (Possingham and Wilson 2005) and identifying important areas for their conservation (Tsiftsis et al 2011). This is especially the case for threatened groups such as orchids (Efimov 2011;Feldman and Prat 2011).…”