Cover | Nutrient status is the most important predictor for L. loeselii occurrence
January 2025 Cover
Photograph by Erik Vinther
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This month’s cover features Liparis loeselii flowering in a moss-rich groundwater-fed fen on the island of Orø, Denmark. The groundwater discharge is pivotal to Phosphorus limitation and open vegetation.
Read the open access paper in Nordic Journal of Botany, by Kappel Andersen et al. (2024): 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.
Nordic Journal of Botany—who are we?
NORDIC JOURNAL OF BOTANY: An International Journal for Botany and Mycology is an Open Access journal owned by the Nordic Society Oikos.
We are an international journal publishing research on all aspects of plant and fungal ecology, evolution, conservation, biogeography, and taxonomy. We welcome cross-disciplinary research such as plant-pollinator interactions, human-plant relations, and plant-ecosystem connections. Our scope includes algae and bryophytes and all groups of fungi. We explore trending topics in plant sciences and publish research from both established experts and early-career researchers.
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