Species response curves and niche quantification of vascular plants in the context of reintroduction

Abstract

The current loss of biodiversity is one of the most disastrous threats to the earth's biosphere. To save plants from extinction, it is important to understand the relationship between species and their environment, identify the drivers of species distributions and rarity, and develop conservation techniques based on sound ecological knowledge. The present thesis shows that soil factors play a major role in plant species distribution and rarity, as well as in practical conservation techniques, such as plant reintroduction. Both, the limits of ecological niches and soil microbes are important factors in conservation, which deserve more attention in future studies of rare plant species. Reliable predictions of species responses to environmental changes and widely applicable conservation techniques are needed to save endangered species from extinction.