< 2022

Poplar plantations in Turkey: an overlooked habitat for orchids

Attila Molnár V.^1,2*, Réka Fekete^1,2, Kristóf Süveges¹, Ádám Lovas-Kiss³, Viktor Löki³, Tímea Nagy⁴, Attila Takács^1,2

¹Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1., H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; *mva@science.unideb.hu
²ELKH-DE Conservation Biology Research Group, Egyetem tér 1., H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
³Wetland Ecology Research Group, Centre for Ecological Research, Bem tér 18/C, H-4026 Debrecen, Hungary
⁴Department of Conservation Biology Institute for Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation,
Georgikon Campus, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences,Festetics u. 7., H-8360 Keszthely, Hungary

Accepted: 19 April 2022

Key words: Asia minor, Orchidaceae, overgrazing, Populus × canadensis, salep harvest, short rotation coppice plantations.

Turkey's orchid flora is one of the richest in the Mediterranean region, but is also under threat from intensification of agriculture, land-use change, habitat loss, overgrazing and salep harvesting (tuber collection). With this study, we would like to draw attention to the importance of economic poplar plantations as orchid habitats. In six of the eight plantations surveyed in five provinces of Turkey, altogether 12 orchid species (Anacamptis elegans, A. fragrans, A. pyramidalis, Cephalanthera longifolia, C. damasonium, Epipactis helleborine, E. persica, Himantoglossum jankae, Ophrys apifera, O. oestrifera, Ophrys sp., Serapias feldwegiana) were found. In the plantations with an average area of only 0.27±0.21 hectares, the presence of 0–5 orchid species was recorded (mean±SD=1.88±1.80). The density of orchid populations varied from 0 to 355.6 specimens per hectare. Both tuberous and rhizomatous orchids were encountered in the studied plantations, but the former ones were dominant: 8 species (67%) and 232 specimens (94%) of the studied orchids were tuberous. The average trunk diameter in poplar plantations harboring orchids ranged from 16.7 to 21.8 cm. In the surveyed plantations, there were no traces of tuber harvesting or overgrazing, which may contribute to their suitability as habitat for orchids. Considering the recent extent of poplar plantations and their expected further increase in Turkey, studying their role in orchid conservation seems important and timely.

Full text

References

Adamowski W. 2006: Population expansion of native orchids in anthropogenous habitats. Polish Botanical Studies 22: 35–44.
Adamowski W., Conti F. 1991: Masowe występowanie storczyków na plantacjach topolowych pod Czeremchą jako przykład apofityzmu. (Mass occurrence of orchids in poplar plantations near Czeremcha village as an example of apophytism.) Phytocoenosis 3 (N. S.) Seminarum Geobotanicum 1: 259–267.
Aradi E., Erdős L., Cseh V., Tölgyesi Cs., Bátori Z. 2017: Adatok Magyarország flórájához és vegetációjához II. Kitaibelia 22(1): 104–113. https://doi.org/10.17542/kit.22.104
Archaux F., Chevalier R., Berthelot A. 2010: Towards practices favourable to plant diversity in hybrid poplar plantations. Forest Ecology and Management 259(12): 2410–2417.
Barina Z. 2000: Felhagyott homokbányák florisztikai vizsgálata I. Kitaibelia 5(2): 313–318.
Barina Z. 2001: Felhagyott homokbányák florisztikai vizsgálata II. Kitaibelia 6(1): 157–165.
Callaway R. M., Kikvidze Z., Kikodze D. 2000: Facilitation by unpalatable weeds may conserve plant diversity in overgrazed meadows in the Caucasus Mountains. Oikos 89(2): 275–282.
Camci Çetin S., Karaca A., Haktanır K., Yildiz H. 2007: Global attention to Turkey due to desertification. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 128: 489–493.
Çolak A. H. 2001: Nature protection in forest (terms - principles - strategies - measurements). Forest Ministry, Milli Parklar ve Av-Yaban Hayati Genel Müdürlügü Yayini. Lazer Ofset, Ankara.
Csábi M., Csirmaz K., Gregorits J., Haszonits G., Hernádi L., Kiticsics A., Lukács R., Makádi S., Marton J., Molnár V. A., Nagy T., Pánczél M., Raksányi Z., Reszler G., Takács A. 2015: Kiegészítések a Magyarország orchideáinak atlasza elterjedési adataihoz. Kitaibelia 20(1): 170–172. https://doi.org/10.17542/kit.20.168
Csiky J. 2006: Adatok Magyarország flórájához és vegetációjához I. Kitaibelia 10: 138–153. https://kitaibelia.unideb.hu/articles/Kitaibelia_vol101_p138-153.pdf
Delforge P. 2006: Orchids of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. A & C Black, London, UK.
Ellis E. C. 2019: Evolution: biodiversity in the Anthropocene. Current Biology 29: R831–R833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.073
Engindeniz S. 2003: Determination of economical financial rotation lengths of hybrid Poplar plantations; the case of Turkey. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences 6(1): 41–47. https://doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2003.41.47
Esfeld K., Hensen I., Wesche K., Jakob S.S., Tischew S., Blattner F. R. 2008: Molecular data indicate multiple independent colonizations of former lignite mining areas in Eastern Germany by Epipactis palustris (Orchidaceae). Biodiversity and Conservation 17(10): 2441–2453. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9391-7
Fekete R., Bódis J., Fülöp B.; Süveges K., Urgyán R., Malkócs T., Vincze O., Silva L., Molnár V. A. 2020: Roadsides provide refuge for orchids characteristic of the surrounding landscape. Ecology and Evolution 10(23): 13236–13247. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6920
Fekete R., Löki V., Urgyán R., Süveges K., Lovas‐Kiss Á., Vincze O. & Molnár V. A. 2019: Roadside verges and cemeteries: Comparative analysis of anthropogenic orchid habitats in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ecology and Evolution 9(11): 6655–6664. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5245
Fekete R., Nagy T., Bódis J., Biró É., Löki V., Süveges K., Takács A., Tökölyi J., Molnár V. A. 2017: Roadside verges as habitats for endangered lizard-orchids (Himantoglossum spp.): ecological traps or refuges? Science of the Total Environment 607: 1001–1008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.037
Ghezehei S. B., Ewald A. L., Hazel D. W., Zalesny R. S., Nichols E. G. 2021: Productivity and profitability of poplars on fertile and marginal sandy soils under different density and fertilization treatments. Forests 12(7): 869. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12070869
Greenwood E. F., Gemmel R. P. 1978: Derelict industrial land as a habitat for rare plants in S. Lancs. (v.c. 59) and W. Lancs. (v.c. 60). Watsonia 12: 33–40. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.666.5006&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Gross M. 2012: Turkey's biodiversity at the crossroads. Current Biology 22: 503–505.
Homewood K., Rodgers W. A. 1987: Pastoralism, conservation and the overgrazing controversy.  In: Anderson D., Grove R. H. (eds) Conservation in Africa: people, policies and practice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. pp. 111–128.
Illyés Z., Zalai B., Óvári M. 2017: Zalaegerszeg-Botfa ritka növényei és védett gombái. Kitaibelia 22(1): 95–103. https://doi.org/10.17542/kit.22.95
Jakubska A., Malicka M., Malicki M. 2006: New data on the apophytic occurrence of Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz and Cephalanthera longifolia (L.) Fritsch in Populus × canadensis plantation in Lower Silesia (south-western Poland). Biodiversity Research and Conservation 1–2: 95–97.
Kantsa A., Tscheulin T., Junker R. R., Petanidou T., Kokkini S. 2013: Urban biodiversity hotspots wait to get discovered: The example of the city of Ioannina, NW Greece. Landscape and Urban Planning 120: 129–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.08.013
Kasparek M., Grimm U. 1999: European trade in Turkish salep with special reference to Germany. Economic Botany 53: 396–406.
Kirca S., Kreutz C. A. J., Çolak A. H. 2020: A biogeographical and ecological classification of orchids in Turkey. Phytocoenologia 50(1): 65–77.
Kreutz C. A. J. 1998: Die Orchideen der Türkei. Beschreibung, Ökologie, Verbreitung, Gefährdung, Schutz. Selbstverlag, Landgraaf, Netherlands. 768 pp.
Kreutz K. C. A. J., Çolak A. H. (eds) 2009: Türkiye orkideleri: Botanik özellikleri, ekolojik istekleri, doğal yayılış alanları, yaşam tehditleri, koruma önlemleri. Rota Yayınları, Istanbul, 848 pp.
Kühn R., Pedersen H. A., Cribb P. 2019: Field Guide to the Orchids of European and the Mediterranean. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. 430 pp.
Lisztes-Szabó Zs. 2013: A Tallós-nőszőfű (Epipactis tallosii Molnár & Robatsch 1997) új állománya Debrecenben. Kitaibelia 18: 179.
Löki V., Tökölyi J., Süveges K., Lovas-Kiss Á., Hürkan K., Sramkó G., Molnár V. A. 2015: The orchid flora of Turkish graveyards: a comprehensive field survey. Willdenowia 45: 231–243. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24753218
Löki V., Molnár V. A., Süveges K., Heimeier H., Takács A., Nagy T., Fekete R., Lovas-Kiss Á., Kreutz C.A.J., Sramkó G., Tökölyi J. 2019a: Predictors of conservation value of Turkish cemeteries: a case study using orchids. Landscape and Urban Planing 186: 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.02.016
Löki V., Deák B., Lukács B. A., Molnár V. A. 2019b: Biodiversity potential of burial places – a review on the flora and fauna of cemeteries and churchyards. Global Ecology and Conservation 18: e00614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00614
Lukács B. A., Gulyás G., Horváth D., Hődör I., Schmotzer A., Sramkó G., Takács A., Molnár A. 2017: Florisztikai adatok a Tiszántúl középső részéről. Kitaibelia 22(2): 317–357. https://doi.org/10.17542/kit.22.317
Lundholm J. T., Richardson P. J. 2010: Mini-Review: Habitat analogues for reconciliation ecology in urban and industrial environments. Journal of Applied Ecology 47(5): 966–975. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01857.x
Mayer H., Aksoy H. 1986: Wälder der Türkei. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart.
Molnár V. A., Molnár A., Vidéki R., Pfeiffer N., Gulyás G. 2000: Néhány adat Magyarország flórájának ismeretéhez. Kitaibelia 5(2): 297–303.
Molnár V. A., Nagy T., Löki V., Süveges K., Takács A., Bódis J., Tökölyi J. 2017a: Turkish graveyards as refuges for orchids against tuber harvest. Ecology and Evolution 7: 11257–11264. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3562
Molnár V. A., Süveges K., Fekete R., Archaux F., Chevalier R., Takács A. 2022: Nyárfaültetvények orchideái – irodalmi áttekintés. Kitaibelia 27(1): (accepted for publication) https://doi.org/10.17542/kit.27.012
Molnár V. A., Süveges K., Molnár Zs., Löki V. 2017b: Using local people’s traditional ecological knowledge in discovery of rare plants: a case study from Turkey. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 86: 3541. https://doi.org/10.5586/asbp.3541
Molnár V. A., Takács A., Mizsei E., Löki V., Barina Z., Sramkó G., Tökölyi J. 2017c: Religious differences affect orchid diversity of Albanian graveyards. Pakistan Journal of Botany 49(1): 289–303. http://www.pakbs.org/pjbot/PDFs/49(1)/38.pdf
Molnár V. A., Vidéki R., Vlčko J. 1998: Adatok hazai Epipactis-fajok ismeretéhez II. Kitaibelia 3: 223–225.
Oztas T., Koc A., Comakli B. 2003: Changes in vegetation and soil properties along a slope on overgrazed and eroded rangelands. Journal of Arid Environments 55(1): 93–100.
Papanastasis V. P., Kyriakakis S., Kazakis G. 2002: Plant diversity in relation to overgrazing and burning in mountain Mediterranean ecosystems. Journal of Mediterranean Ecology 3: 53–64.
Rewicz A., Bomanowska A., Shevera M. V., Kurowski J. K., Krasoń K., Zielińska K. M. 2017: Cities and disturbed areas as man-made shelters for orchid communities. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca 45(1): 126–139. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha45110519
Saunders D. A., Hobbs R. J., Margules C. R. 1991: Biological consequences of ecosystem fragmentation: A review. Conservation Biology 5: 18–32.
Schiberna E., Borovics A., Benke A. 2021: Economic modelling of poplar short rotation coppice plantations in Hungary. Forests 12(5): 623. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12050623
Şekercioğlu C. H., Anderson S., Akcay E., Bilgin R., Can Ö. E., Semiz G., Tavşanoğlu Ç., Yokeş M. B., Soyumert A., İpekdal K., Sağlam İ. K., Yücel M., Dalfes N. H. 2011: Turkey’s globally important biodiversity in crisis. Biological Conservation 144: 2752–2769.
Semerci A., Guevara C. A., Gonzalez-Benecke C. A. 2021: Water availability effects on growth and phenology of 11 poplar cultivars growing in semiarid areas in Turkey. New Forests 52(3): 411–430. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-020-09802-5
Sezik E. 2002a: Turkish orchids and salep. Acta Pharmaceutica Turcica 44: 151–157.
Sezik E. 2002b: Destruction and conservation of Turkish orchids. In: Şener B. (ed.) Biodiversity. Biomolecular aspects of biodiversity and innovative utilization. Springer Science+Business Media, New York. pp. 391–400.
Sezik E. 2006: Destroying of Ophrys species to obtain Salep in Turkey. Journal Europäischer Orchideen 38: 290–295.
Shefferson R. P., Kull T., Tali K. 2008: Mycorrhizal interactions of orchids colonizing Estonian mine tailings hills. American Journal of Botany 95: 156–164. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.95.2.156
Sonkoly J. 2014: Adatok Miskolc és a Bükk hegység flórájának ismeretéhez. Kitaibelia 19(2): 267–274.
Süveges K. 2022: Adatok néhány védett növényfaj elterjedéséhez és ökológiájához. Kitaibelia 27(1): (accepted for publication) https://doi.org/10.17542/kit.27.009
Süveges K., Löki V., Lovas-Kiss Á., Ljubka T., Fekete R., Takács A., Vincze O., Lukács B. A., Molnár V. A. 2019: From European priority species to characteristic apophyte: Epipactis tallosii (Orchidaceae). Willdenowia 49(3): 401–409. https://doi.org/10.3372/wi.49.49310
Süveges K., Takács A., Nagy T., Schmotzer A., Koscsó J. 2020: Florisztikai adatok a Tiszántúl északi pereméről II.: Borsodi-ártér és Sajó–Hernád-sík. Kitaibelia 25(2): 169–186. https://doi.org/10.17542/kit.25.169
Tóth I. Zs. 2009: A Völgység flórája, 1. Acta Naturalia Pannononica 4: 139–144.
Tullus T., Tullus A., Roosaluste E., Lutter R., Tullus H. 2015: Vascular plant and bryophyte flora in midterm hybrid aspen plantations on abandoned agricultural land. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 45(9): 1183–1191. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0464
Tunçtaner K., Özel H. B. 2009: Adaptation of some poplar clones to the lake district in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Forestry 9(1): 61–71.
Voigt W., Somay L. 2013: Florisztikai adatok Paks környékéről. Kitaibelia 18(1-2): 35–72.
Werner E. 1982: Méhbangó a Szigetközben. Élet és Tudomány 37(3): 80–82.