Reproductive ecology, conservation biology and distribution mapping of Ferulago glareosa Mandemir and Hedge (Apiaceae)

In the endeavour to protect endemic plant species against global climate change, whose effects are becoming more common, yet the desired qualification has not been reached. Ferulago glareosa which lives in Kemah, Erzincan, Turkey is one of our rare endemic plants. In this study, firstly we investigated some reproductive ecology details of species such as reproductive system, visitors, fruit distribution, seedling recruitment, soil seed bank and population modelling. Later on, habitat suitability and climate change modelling of species were performed by using Maximum Entropy modelling approach. The standard deviation values between training data set ROC values and test data set ROC values were used to select the optimum model from among the great numbers of species distribution models which acquired for species. It was determined that the flower awards were open to all visitors, some of the visitors were harmful to fruit set, reproductive system was geitonogamous and xenogamous and soil seed bank was short-term persistence of species. Moreover, spatial and temporal variations in the habitat of species were found to be highly effective in the reproductive success of species. Mimesis, a special form of mimicry, was found between fruits of species and one of the visitors of species. The environmental variables affecting the distribution of F. glareosa (ROC: 0,970-0,968) were found as mean temperature of coldest quarter and slope. According to the predictions obtained from modelling studies, the distribution area of species may not be suitable even in the near future. In brief, we sought an answer to this question ''how we should prepare our endemic plant species against climate change which is considered to be the biggest danger upcoming'' and suggestions on conservation of our endemic plants were made.