Dynamics of orchid occurrence in highlands

All species of orchids are sensitive plants and records of their distribution are rare. Their rarity is related to their complex biology and their sensitivity to changes in the environment. It is necessary to pay attention to these threatened species, so that we could preserve them from extinction. For their effective protection we need to know the main causes of extinction of their localities. It is also useful to know the factors, which determine their distribution, so that we could find new localities, where they occur. In this thesis I analyzed some climatic, geographic and ecological factors in the Jeseníky mountains and their surroundings. First, I visited localities of orchids, which were registered in large databases of their presence in the past. The four most numerous species were analyzed using the program MaxEnt. Based on the revisions, existence of 2/3 of the revised localities was confirmed, 8% of the revised localities became extinct because of overgrowth or due to human intervention in the landscape. From the MaxEnt results it is clear, that for all species the most important factor at the 50 × 50 m scale, is the type of biotope and heterogeneity of the countryside. The most suitable biotopes are floodplain and wetland forests, mesophile meadows, natural scrubs, peat bogs and..