Abstract
Understanding diversity patterns and how they are affected by global change are topics of active discussion in biodiversity research. In response to species declines, it is important to not only understand patterns of diversity but also develop a knowledge base for use in species conservation.
We still do not know, for example, the abiotic and biotic requirements for population persistence for most species. Orchid ecology and conservation are the subjects of this Research Topic.
We focus on orchids because the family has the most species and more than 50% of the species that have been assessed fall into one or more risk categories. Given the large number of orchid species, relatively few have been studied in detail.
As a result, it is difficult to determine the best approach for conserving species. Given the increasing threats to orchids globally, the editors chose to focus on orchid ecology and conservation and the contributing authors have provided a range of relevant topics.