Orchid Conservation and Biodiversity—2nd Edition

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 2012

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute for Botany and Botanical Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Takovska 43, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: orchidaceae; plant ecology; biodiversity; distribution patterns; ecological preferences and conservation of orchids
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Guest Editor
Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Belidla 986/4a, 60300 Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: ecology; population dynamics; extinction rate; biodiversity; conservation and distribution patterns of orchids
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Understanding the temporal changes in the distribution and abundance of various species is one of the key goals of conservation biology. During recent decades, the diversity, abundance and distribution of many species have declined dramatically at an unprecedented rate, mainly because of habitat loss and fragmentation. The global rate of species extinction is now up to a hundred times higher than the average over the last 10 million years. To prevent this massive extinction, or at least reduce its speed, we need very good management plans for the areas where most of the species that are prone to extinction occur, which will be based on good knowledge of the distribution of these species. Studies on the changes in the distributions of species provide critical information on trends in extinctions and information on what causes these changes. This is especially true for endangered groups of plants, such as orchids.

This Special Issue of Plants, titled “Orchid Conservation and Biodiversity—2nd Edition”, aims to provide new insights into orchid diversity, evolution, distribution patterns, habitat and ecological preferences, extinction rates and speciation drivers across the world. Research papers on systematics, reproductive biology, ecology, evolution and biogeography, as well as orchid spatial distribution and diversification across ecological and biogeographical gradients connected with their conservation and biodiversity are welcome.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Dr. Vladan Djordjević
Dr. Zuzana Štípková
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • orchid
  • conservation
  • biodiversity
  • distribution patterns
  • speciation
  • ecology
  • biogeography
  • evolution
  • reproductive biology
  • extinction

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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20 pages, 5757 KB  
Article
Seedling Establishment of Dendrophylax lindenii Reintroduced In Situ: Implications for Conservation and Management of a Leafless Epiphytic Orchid
by Adam R. Herdman, Michael E. Kane, Ernesto B. Mújica, Mark W. Danaher, Lawrence W. Zettler, Paulina Quijia-Lamiña, Héctor E. Pérez and Carrie Reinhardt-Adams
Plants 2026, 15(6), 858; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15060858 - 10 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Reintroduction is increasingly used to support declining plant species, particularly epi-phytic orchids that display complex ecological requirements. We evaluated the seven-year performance of 123 asymbiotically propagated ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) seedlings that were reintroduced into a natural pond-apple/pop ash slough on [...] Read more.
Reintroduction is increasingly used to support declining plant species, particularly epi-phytic orchids that display complex ecological requirements. We evaluated the seven-year performance of 123 asymbiotically propagated ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) seedlings that were reintroduced into a natural pond-apple/pop ash slough on the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. Annual monitoring of this leafless epiphytic species assessed survival, root attachment, and reproduction, with respect to host tree bark texture, host tree species, and neighboring epiphytes. Eighteen individuals (15%) persisted after 83 months, and median survival time was 47 months. Reintroduced orchids near ferns experienced 2–4-fold higher mortality compared with those near mosses, lichens, or other ghost orchids, while survival exceeded 36% at 71 months for individuals placed adjacent to bryophytes. Despite flowering in up to 19% of surviving individuals, no seed capsule reached maturity, indicating that sexual reproduction remains a major bottleneck for population persistence. However, low reproductive output and gradual attrition suggest that reintroduction alone is unlikely to produce self-sustaining populations without addressing the likely genetic constraints, the possible pollinator service constraints, and microsite drivers of persistence. This study highlights the importance of extended monitoring and microsite selection strategies for leafless epiphytic orchid conservation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Orchid Conservation and Biodiversity—2nd Edition)
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8 pages, 2516 KB  
Brief Report
A New Species of Stigmatodactylus (Orchidaceae) from West Papua Province, Indonesia, and the Rediscovery and Reinterpretation of S. gibbsiae
by André Schuiteman, Reza Saputra, Jimmy F. Wanma and Charlie D. Heatubun
Plants 2026, 15(4), 589; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15040589 - 13 Feb 2026
Viewed by 894
Abstract
Two species of Stigmatodactylus have recently been observed in the Arfak Mountains of West Papua Province, Indonesian New Guinea. One of these is clearly undescribed and is here described as Stigmatodactylus antennatus Schuit., Saputra & Wanma, a species uniquely characterised by the presence [...] Read more.
Two species of Stigmatodactylus have recently been observed in the Arfak Mountains of West Papua Province, Indonesian New Guinea. One of these is clearly undescribed and is here described as Stigmatodactylus antennatus Schuit., Saputra & Wanma, a species uniquely characterised by the presence of a pair of antennae on the lip. The other is believed to be S. gibbsiae (Kores) Kores. This species was only known from the type material collected in the Arfak Mountains more than a century ago, in 1913. There are, however, significant discrepancies between the protologue and the material recently found. We interpret these discrepancies as misinterpretations of the poor type material of S. gibbsiae, and provide images based on fresh material. An identification key to the four species of Stigmatodactylus in New Guinea is included. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Orchid Conservation and Biodiversity—2nd Edition)
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