The hummocky meadow micro-scale patchiness effect on the Eggleaf twayblade Neottia ovata (L.) Bluff & Fingerh. (Orchidaceae) functional traits

Regularly managed hummocky meadows represent a species-rich, distinct type of post-glacial grassland communities, which appear on loose carbonate material. Such micro-reliefs are characterized by numerous humps and pits, i.e. convex and concave features of the surface. Little is known about how plants respond to environmental heterogeneity at such small spatial scales. Neottia ovata (Orchidaceae) is a member of the Eurosiberian, Boreo-temperate element. This species is a well documented habitat generalist, occupying a wide range of habitats ranging from lowlands to mountains and from wet to dry sites, often including anthropogenic habitats. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of hummocky meadow micro-scale habitat patchiness, i.e. small-scale habitat heterogeneity on selected N. ovata functional traits. Across all generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs), plant micro-location on the slope of a hump, expressed as plant height on a hump index was the key predictor of the analysed functional traits. The specific micro-location of N. ovata specimens on the meadow humps plays a vital role in the plant’s functional trait values; it also affects fitness and the percentage of pollinated flowers. Hummocky meadow micro-scale patchiness offers interesting perspectives for further research. Protecting the remaining hummocky meadows contributes to the conservation of biodiversity of the fragile alpine environment.