How did the agricultural policy during the communist period affect the decline in orchid biodiversity in central and eastern Europe?

Effect of different substrates on in vitro symbiotic seed germination for soilless production of Anacamptis laxiflora orchid

In recent years, the orchid species have become endangered due to overuse and habitat destruction. As with most flowering plants, seed production is the primary strategy for reproduction in orchids. Orchids produce tiny seeds consisting of a seed coat and a rudimentary embryo. However, it lacks the endosperm, which is generally required as the primary energy source during germination. The only way to germinate orchid seeds is to get nutrients from an external source. In nature, this is achieved by mycorrhizal symbiosis. This study used Ceratobasidium sp. inoculation of Anacamptis laxiflora (Lam.) seeds combined with media with various organic substrates to determine their effectiveness on germination and seedling development by in vitro culture. The highest germination rate (35.78%) was obtained in the medium with addition of young hazelnut leaves. Then, soilless ex vitro symbiotic germination was performed on young hazelnut leaves, the most effective organic substrate. Seed germination was determined to be 19.01% in this medium while 14.87% seedlings with developed leaves and roots were formed. For the first time, success was achieved by producing A. laxiflora from seed in ex vitro conditions without soil and adapting it to nature.

Distribution of Orchids with Different Rooting Systems in the Czech Republic

Understanding diversity patterns along altitudinal gradients and the effect of global change on abundance, distribution patterns and species survival are of the most discussed topics in biodiversity research. Here, we determined the associations of orchid species richness and the degree of their specialization to specific environmental conditions (expressed by species specialization index) with altitude in six floristic areas in the Czech Republic. We distinguished three basic trends in these relationships: linear, parabolic and cubic. We then determined whether these trends differ between three orchid groups classified by their rooting systems: rhizomatous, intermediate and tuberous. We used distributional data on 69 species and subspecies of terrestrial orchids recorded in the Czech Republic and interpolated them at 100-m intervals along an altitudinal gradient in each floristic area. The trends in both species richness and mean species specialization index differed between the six floristic areas within each of the three orchid groups studied. These patterns are probably strongly influenced by the orography of the country and the distribution of different habitats in the six floristic areas in the Czech Republic. We also found that the most widely distributed orchid group in the Czech Republic are the rhizomatous orchids, followed by intermediate and tuberous ones.