Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.5
4.0
Journals
Plants
Special Issues
The Conservation of Protected Plant Species: From Theory to Practice
share announcement

The Conservation of Protected Plant Species: From Theory to Practice

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 565

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zigmantas Gudžinskas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Nature Research Centre, Institute of Botany, 12000 Vilnius, Lithuania
Interests: plant invasions; plant ecology; plant taxonomy; species conservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The conservation of legally protected plant species is an integral part of global environmental and biodiversity protection. Despite many efforts, plant species or individual populations are declining for a complex array of interrelated reasons: anthropogenic pressures, habitat and ecosystem degradation, climate change, biological invasions, changes in traditional agricultural practices and other human economic activities. It is therefore essential to comprehensively assess the causes of plant species decline and the short- and long-term processes occurring in their populations and habitats. Such knowledge is essential to identify the best methods and most effective conservation measures for protected plant species.

For this Special Issue, we invite the submission of articles dealing with different aspects of the study of protected plant species:

  • Conservation, management and restoration of the habitats of protected plant species.
  • Spatial and temporal changes in populations of protected plant species.
  • Population demographic structure and its relationship to environmental conditions.
  • Traits of protected plant species and their effect on population stability.
  • Mutualistic, symbiotic and trophic relationships of protected plant species with other organisms.
  • Effect of climate change on population trends and stability.
  • Impact of anthropogenic factors on populations of protected plant species.
  • Effect of invasive organisms on populations of protected plant species.
  • Genetic diversity in populations and its effect on population stability.
  • Policy and best practice for the conservation of protected plant species.

Dr. Zigmantas Gudžinskas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biodiversity conservation
  • climate change
  • habitats
  • invasive species
  • legally protected plant species
  • management
  • plant traits
  • populations

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 29994 KiB  
Article
In Situ Conservation of Orchidaceae Diversity in the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (Moroccan Part)
by Yahya El Karmoudi, Nikos Krigas, Brahim Chergui El Hemiani, Abdelmajid Khabbach and Mohamed Libiad
Plants 2025, 14(8), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14081254 - 20 Apr 2025
Abstract
The focus of this study was the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (IBRM, part of the biodiversity hotspot of the Mediterranean Basin) and the Orchidaceae family, which is under-studied in the Moroccan part of the IBRM. For this reason, an inventory of [...] Read more.
The focus of this study was the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (IBRM, part of the biodiversity hotspot of the Mediterranean Basin) and the Orchidaceae family, which is under-studied in the Moroccan part of the IBRM. For this reason, an inventory of Orchidaceae diversity and factors that could influence their in situ conservation was undertaken, employing a series of field surveys conducted in the Northern Moroccan IBRM ecosystems. In total, 42 sites were surveyed in four protected areas of the Moroccan part of the IBRM. In total, 21 Orchidaceae species and subspecies (taxa) belonging to seven genera were identified, including Orchis spitzelii subsp. cazorlensis, as newly recorded in Morocco, as well as several new reports for different sites and/or areas surveyed, thus updating the previous knowledge of Moroccan Orchidaceae. Most of the Orchidaceae taxa were found in limited numbers of individuals (<30) and were restricted in a few sites (1–3) or a single area; thus, they were assessed as poorly conserved due to the scarcity of rainfall coupled with human pressures, such as the abstraction of surface water, forest fires, and the conversion of protected forests to Cannabis farms. The enforcement of existing laws, the adoption of strategies to combat desertification and forest fires, the prohibition of Cannabis farming, and raising awareness among the local population could reduce the pressures on the protected Orchidaceae members and their habitats, thereby contributing to their conservation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Conservation of Protected Plant Species: From Theory to Practice)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1004 KiB  
Article
Complex Floral Scent Profile of Neottia ovata (Orchidaceae): General Attractants and Beyond
by Edyta Jermakowicz, Marcin Stocki, Piotr Szefer, Justyna Burzyńska and Emilia Brzosko
Plants 2025, 14(6), 942; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14060942 - 17 Mar 2025
Viewed by 272
Abstract
Understanding the complexity of flower scent—a crucial attractant for pollinators and a key factor in ensuring plant reproduction—is an essential ecological task for highly endangered orchids. To address this issue, we studied the flower volatiles profile of Neottia ovata, a nectar-rewarding orchid [...] Read more.
Understanding the complexity of flower scent—a crucial attractant for pollinators and a key factor in ensuring plant reproduction—is an essential ecological task for highly endangered orchids. To address this issue, we studied the flower volatiles profile of Neottia ovata, a nectar-rewarding orchid known for its generalist pollination strategy. We then compared the chemical composition of N. ovata floral scent with scent data of other orchid species to place our findings in the context of general volatile attractants emitted by nectar-rewarding or food-deceptive species. Our results contribute to understanding the complexity of the N. ovata floral scent profile and provide valuable methodological insights. The scented bouquet of N. ovata comprises 100 compounds with a relatively consistent composition across the analyzed samples. It is rich in terpenes, including linalool and trans-/cis-sabinene hydrate, compounds commonly associated with generalized rewarding or food-deceptive pollination systems. Other terpenes identified include α- and β-pinene, limonene, and β-phellandrene, whose presence underscores the generalized nature of the floral scent. Interestingly, in the studied N. ovata populations, the dominance among terpenes is shifting markedly towards γ-terpinene, α-terpinene, and terpinene-4-ol, commonly found in essential oils and the floral scents of some supergeneralist-pollination plants. Aromatic compounds were less represented in the N. ovata scent profile and those of other orchids studied, though benzyl alcohol and benzaldehyde were noticeably more abundant. Aliphatic compounds composed the least prevalent fraction, showing a marked decreasing trend among nectar-rewarding species with generalized or specialized pollination systems. It is worth emphasizing that the applied methodology revealed an extensive group of low-frequency compounds in the N. ovata floral scent. This finding raises new ecological questions about the intraspecific diversity of floral scent profiles and sheds new light on the factors determining effective reproduction in this species of orchid. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Conservation of Protected Plant Species: From Theory to Practice)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop