Abstract
The current strategy for enhancing environment and landscape
named
EcoRegionalConservation is focused on in situ conservation of germplasm and aims to
protect biodiversity as a "service on the territory".
Since
the effect of several anthropic
factors
i
n the last years interested many ecosystems, there is the need of
a deeper and more
specific analysis of the biodiversity by taxonomy, karyology and habitat of several species.
For its widest existing variability, the
Orchidaceae
family represents an interesting group to
monitor the biodiversity in the Basilicata region
. To document the presence and the
distribution of this group, 51 sites, spread on all the Basilicata region, were explored and 311
entities belonging to 18 genera (
Ophrys, Orchis, Serapias, Dactylorhiza, Aceras, Platanthera,
Cephalanthera, Himantoglossum,
Anacamptis, Gymnadenia, Epipactis, Coeloglossum,
Neotinea, Neottia, Limodorum, Barlia, Listera, Spiranthes
)
and 8 interspecific hybrids were
classified. The karyological characterisation confirmed the data available in literature, suggesting a further dee
pening of the quantitative results on chromosomal numbers by means
of qualitative studies on their morphology and behaviour.
Within the same species the
morpho
-
biometric data revealed highly polymorphic labella and polychrome flowers. The
results on the o
rchids altitude presence showed
a preferential habitat at approximately 1000
meters above sea level. The flowering time varied from February in the species of stations at
sea level, until September in the stations at
high altitude, with a flowering peak in
May
(>52%). The exposure surveys have indicated the presence of distributed entities in the west
(39%), east (31%) and south (16%); few species found in North.
The results of this
investigation are a contribution to safeguard and to utilize this germplasm
in
in situ
conservation
like a “natural economic capital”