Determinants of orchid species diversity in Latin America

0467358 - ÚVGZ 2017 RIV CR eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Štípková, Zuzana - Traxmandlová, Iva - Kindlmann, Pavel
Determinants of orchid species diversity in Latin America.
Lankesteriana. Roč. 16, č. 2 (2016), s. 293-297. ISSN 1409-3871
Grant CEP: GA MŠMT(CZ) LO1415; GA ČR GB14-36098G
Institucionální podpora: RVO:67179843
Klíčová slova: altitude * habitat diversity * species-area relationship
Kód oboru RIV: EF - Botanika

Area and latitude are thought to be the most important determinants of species richness. The relative
importance of these two factors was recently tested, using data on orchid species diversity in various countries
in the world and it was found that size of the country (or of the protected areas within the country) is a better
determinant of species diversity in orchids than latitude. On the other hand, literature data indicate that in many
groups species richness is also heavily dependent on habitat diversity as expressed by the range of altitudes in
the region considered. Here we analyze the species richness data for various countries in Latin America, using
the above-mentioned altitudinal amplitude as a proxy. Habitat diversity played a role in tropical, but not in
temperate countries. The reason may indicate that in the temperate countries only few orchid species grow in
higher elevations, so an increase of altitudinal range of habitats there does not entail a corresponding increase
of species richness there. Thus, especially in the tropics, efforts should be directed to preservation of protected
areas in all altitudes, rather than to increase of existing reserve size only in areas that are not attractive for human
development.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0265468