Environmental drivers of the decline of the fen orchid Liparis loeselii

Dagmar Kappel Andersen; Rasmus Ejrnæs; Martine Minter; Tenna Riis; Erik Vinther; Hans Henrik Kehlet Bruun

doi:10.1111/njb.04419

Environmental drivers of the decline of the fen orchid Liparis loeselii

Dagmar Kappel Andersen, Rasmus Ejrnæs, Martine Minter, Tenna Riis, Erik Vinther, Hans Henrik Kehlet Bruun^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Liparis loeselii is a rare and declining orchid species restricted to rich fens in the Northern Hemisphere. Habitat destruction, eutrophication, drainage and scrub encroachment have been suggested as reasons for the decline. However, which factors are most important is not well understood. Based on vegetation and environmental properties from extant, potential and historical L. loeselii sites, we 1) developed habitat suitability models from either Ellenberg Indicator Values, which were derived from known habitat preferences of co-occurring plant species, or field-measured environmental properties, and 2) identified the primary reasons for the observed decline of L. loeselii. We found nutrient status to be the most important predictor for L. loeselii occurrence, followed by hydrology proxies (Ellenberg reaction and Ellenberg moisture). Vegetation height and Ellenberg light were of minor importance. Effect partitioning based on sites, from which L. loeselii has gone locally extinct, pinpointed eutrophication and drainage to be the most likely primary drivers of the species' demise. Phosphorus limitation induced by discharge of calcium-rich groundwater seems to be crucial for L. loeselii to sustain populations in landscapes dominated by intensive agriculture.

Original language	English
Article number	e04419
Book series	Nordic Journal of Botany
Volume	2025
Issue	1
ISSN	0107-055X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.04419
Publication status	Published - Jan 2025

Keywords

conservation management
Denmark
effect partitioning
EU Habitats Directive
habitat suitability model
hydrology
P ratio
tissue N

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10.1111/njb.04419Licence: CC BY

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title = "Environmental drivers of the decline of the fen orchid Liparis loeselii",

abstract = "Liparis loeselii is a rare and declining orchid species restricted to rich fens in the Northern Hemisphere. Habitat destruction, eutrophication, drainage and scrub encroachment have been suggested as reasons for the decline. However, which factors are most important is not well understood. Based on vegetation and environmental properties from extant, potential and historical L. loeselii sites, we 1) developed habitat suitability models from either Ellenberg Indicator Values, which were derived from known habitat preferences of co-occurring plant species, or field-measured environmental properties, and 2) identified the primary reasons for the observed decline of L. loeselii. We found nutrient status to be the most important predictor for L. loeselii occurrence, followed by hydrology proxies (Ellenberg reaction and Ellenberg moisture). Vegetation height and Ellenberg light were of minor importance. Effect partitioning based on sites, from which L. loeselii has gone locally extinct, pinpointed eutrophication and drainage to be the most likely primary drivers of the species' demise. Phosphorus limitation induced by discharge of calcium-rich groundwater seems to be crucial for L. loeselii to sustain populations in landscapes dominated by intensive agriculture.",

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author = "Andersen, {Dagmar Kappel} and Rasmus Ejrn{\ae}s and Martine Minter and Tenna Riis and Erik Vinther and Bruun, {Hans Henrik Kehlet}",

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AU - Vinther, Erik

AU - Bruun, Hans Henrik Kehlet

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Environmental drivers of the decline of the fen orchid Liparis loeselii

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Keywords

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