Turkish graveyards as refuges for orchids against tuber harvest.

Ecol Evol. 2017 Nov 23;7(24):11257-11264. doi: 10.1002/ece3.3562. eCollection 2017 Dec. Molnár V A1, Nagy T2, Löki V1, Süveges K1, Takács A1,3, Bódis J2, Tökölyi J4. Author information 1 Department of BotanyUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary. 2 Department of Plant Sciences and BiotechnologyGeorgikon FacultyUniversity of PannoniaKeszthelyHungary. 3 MTA-DE "Lendület" Evolutionary Phylogenomic Research GroupUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary. 4 MTA-DE Behavioural Ecology Research GroupUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary. Abstract Harvest of orchid tubers for salep production is widespread in southwestern Asia and the Balkans and constitutes a major conservation risk for wild orchid populations. Synanthropic habitats, such as graveyards, are important refuges for orchids and other organisms and could offer protection from salep harvesting because of their special cultural role. However, little is known about the occurrence and factors influencing harvesting of salep in graveyards. During field surveys of 474 graveyards throughout Turkey, we observed 333 graveyards with orchids, 311 graveyards with tuberous orchids, and salep harvest in 14 graveyards. Altogether, 530 individuals of 17 orchid species were collected, representing 9% of the individuals recorded. Harvesting intensity was relatively low, and populations were usually not wholly destroyed. However, some species were clearly more affected than others. Salep harvesting risk of orchid species was significantly associated with flowering time, with early-flowering species being more affected. A marginally significant positive relationship between harvesting risk and species-specific tuber size was also detected. Our data suggest that graveyards might offer some protection against salep harvesting in Turkey, but they also show that some orchid taxa are much more affected than others. Overall, our observations add more weight to the conservation value of these special habitats. KEYWORDS: Asia minor; CITES; Orchidaceae; cemetery; salep; sustainability PMID: 29299298 PMCID: PMC5743569 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3562 Free PMC Article Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google+