The in situ management of many orchid species is problematic because individual species' ecology and habitat requirements are poorly understood. Here, the requirements of nine Pterostylis species are investigated for the first time. Individual species' abundances were recorded from 35 sites and correlated with known environmental and climatic variables using canonical correspondence analysis to determine which variables may explain species distribution. Altitude, aspect, drainage, precipitation, radiation, temperature and moisture index were identified as important variables that influence distribution patterns. The positioning of several members of the Pterostylis longifolia species complex in ordination space was poorly resolved, as was the relationship between Pterostylis pedoglossa and Pterostylis parviflora. Distinct ecological partitioning was evident among the remaining three species. This study has identified important environmental variables that can be assessed in the field and assist in the detection of suitable habitat for orchid translocations. © 2010 CSIRO.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Evolutionary biology
Research Field:	Phylogeny and comparative analysis
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:	Terrestrial biodiversity
UTAS Author:	Janes, J (Ms Jaz Janes)
UTAS Author:	Steane, DA (Dr Dorothy Steane)
UTAS Author:	Vaillancourt, RE (Professor Rene Vaillancourt)
ID Code:	66866
Year Published:	2010
Web of Science® Times Cited:	8
Deposited By:	Plant Science
Deposited On:	2011-02-16
Last Modified:	2014-12-18
Downloads:	0