Integrated conservation of important plant taxa through the improvement of the original plant micro-reserve (PMR) approach: The intensive PMR monitoring case of Ophrys kotschyi

Developing a monitoring system and a conservation strategy against the negative impact of global change on threatened plant species, is nowadays the challenge for conservation experts. The Plant Micro-Reserve (PMR) approach became a highly effective approach in protecting plant species, since mild active management of vegetation plots and protection of plant populations takes place. The PMR has greatly evolved since its initial concept of managing a large network of PMRs, to having fewer protected areas subject to intensive scientific monitoring (e.g. Intensive Monitoring PMR; IM-PMR). This study further improved the IM-PMR approach by focusing on the threatened plant species of Ophrys kotschyi in Cyprus. The proposed IM-PMR enhances the available knowledge on the biology, physiology and ecology of the targeted plant species, through implementing an intensive monitoring system and assessing its genetic diversity. Within the framework of IM-PMR, the population size of O. kotschyi recorded statistically significant differentiation during the monitoring period, most likely due to the vegetative dormancy of the species. The subpopulation size and dormancy in O. kotschyi was correlated with precipitation and air temperature for specific months. In addition, the different local climatic conditions and the species dormancy between years seem to influence the flowers production among individuals, in the four monitoring years. Nevertheless, the low natural fecundity compared to the artificially pollinated plants and the absent correlation with any of the climatic parameters, might be closely related to the lack of pollinators at this site. The genetic diversity (H_T = 0.456) is higher compared to other endemic and short-lived perennial species, while the genetic differentiation among the subpopulations of O. kotschyi showed significant substructure (F_ST^FIS=0.5 = 0.097*). The subpopulation within IM-PMR showed relatively lower genetic diversity among the largest subpopulations of O. kotschyi, and the highest percentage of linked loci. Such observations support the non-random association of different loci in this subpopulation, and the ineffective pollen flow within this single subpopulation. The improvement of the original PMR approach in the current IM-PMR proposal denotes that different ecological aspects are taken into account towards gaining a holistic knowledge on a target species. The IM-PMR approach as implemented for O. kotschyi, could lead to the development of an integrated conservation approach for rare, threatened, or endangered species.