The present study, which was conducted between 2009 and 2010, provides an analysis of the floristic composition, life forms, phenology, chorological spectrum and analysis of the vegetation in the deltaic part of Wadi Qena using multivariate analysis techniques. Twenty-five stands were sampled to represent, as much as possible, the vegetation variation in the study area. A total of 54 species (nineteen annuals and 35 perennials) belonging to 47 genera and nineteen families were recorded. The largest families were Fabaceae and Brassicaceae (nine and seven, respectively), Asteraceae and Poaceae (six for each), Chenopodiaceae (five), and Zygophyllaceae (four). Therophytes are the predominant life form (37%) followed by chamaephytes (24%), phanerophytes (18.5%), hemicryptophytes (9.29%) and cryptophytes (5.5%). Chorological analysis revealed that Saharo-Arabian (48%) and the Sudano-Zambezian (19.2%) chorotypes constitute the main bulk (67.2%) of the total flora of the studied area. The majority of the perennial species behave similarly to each other in their phenology, and usually perennials sprout at the end of February, become leafy in March, flower in April and produce fruits between April and July. Three main vegetation groups resulted from classification of the dominant vegetation. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that magnesium, potassium and pH were the most effective soil variables.

This paper reports on the manufacture of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) from Prosopis juliflora leaf extracts. Various methods of characterization were used, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope TEM. ZnO NPs has a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferred orientation of 101 planes, according to XRD. The functional groups found in ZnO NPs isolated from leaves are responsible for the FT-IR peaks that correspond to them. The morphology of the produced nanoparticles is a sphere-like form, as shown in the SEM pictures. TEM examination revealed ZnO NPs with a size of 50–55 nm. These ZnO NPs were used to remediate pollutants in paper mill effluents, and they were able to remove 86% of the organic pollutants from the sample at 0.05 mg/L dose and reduce 89% of the organic pollutants during a 5-h reflex time. Meanwhile, for the photocatalysis of paper mill effluents, it has been noted that COD was removed by 74.30%, 63.23%, and 57.96% for the first, second, and third cycles, respectively.

The chemo-ecotone (Kamel 2003) is influenced usually by the chemical characteristic of the soil that causes the environmental gradient. The aim of the current work is to study the plants responses to overcome the high soil sodicity SAR. The impact of soil sodicity on the species distribution across the ecotone. Eleven species were selected for investigation. Soil analysis showed that SAR decreased far away from the sea gradually, causing environmental gradient. To overcome the soil salinity and sodium toxicity, the halophytes and salt resistant plants accumulated Na+ ions more than true xerophytes. All species were dependent on potassium and calcium as compatible solutes to avoid sodium toxicity. The results showed that vegetation diversity at the chemo-ecotone was controlled by soil sodicity and the ability of plants to overcome salinity. The chemo-ecotone width depended upon the ability of true desert species, Lotus hebranicus, to disperse toward the sea, as well as the true halophytes, Limonium pruinosum, toward the desert. It is concluded that the species diversity in the chemo-ecotone depends mainly on the soil sodicity as a limiting factor.

The wild vegetation of the Eastern Desert is characterized by openness and comprises perennials and ephemerals. The current study investigated the relationship between the edaphic factors of the natural vegetation along El Sheikh Fadl–Ras Gharib Road, Southwest Suez Gulf, in the northern sector of the Eastern Desert. The vegetation structure of the study area is relatively simple. The surveyed plants included 93 species from 22 families (51 perennials and 42 annuals). Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Fabaceae were the richest families, constituting the majority of plant species (53.76%). Therophytes were the most frequent life forms. About 83.87% of the total flora were pluriregional elements of different affinities. Most of the recorded taxa occupied the Irano-Turanian/Mediterranean/Saharo-Sindian/Sudano-Zambezian chorotypes. The application of TWINSPAN classification resulted in grouping the vegetation into three main vegetation groups (A, B, and C), representing distinct microhabitats. The CCA ordination indicates diversity in vegetation group A. Group B was highly associated with Na, Mg, CaCO3, silt, clay, and C/N. Group C showed a high correlation with sand, K, and N. The differences in wild plant life forms, richness, and diversity along the studied desert roadsides, in association with the soil differences, provide a good indication of plant biodiversity.

S URFACE water quality and the seasonal dynamics of the Nile River in the Aswan district were analyzed using multivariate data analysis and overall pollution index (OPI) analysis. Water samples were collected from four sampling sites, including a reference site (site 1) and three sites receiving effluents from different pollution sources, e.g., domestic-like pollutants (site 2), industrial (site 3), and agricultural effluents (site 4). Different water quality parameters, such as physicochemical characteristics and nutrient minerals, were analyzed in the selected sites.The average OPI values were calculated by classifying the surface water quality of each siteas follows:at site 1 (1.65: excellent), site 2 (2.70:acceptable), site 3 (11.75:polluted), and site 4 (5.08:slightly polluted). In each site, the OPI values varied seasonally within the range of water quality class, except, in autumn at site 4, the OPI value was 10.00, and hence the water quality class was changed to (polluted).Generally, it was concluded that the industrial effluents had an adverse effect on the surface water quality of the Nile River, Aswan. Consequently, special concerns should be assumed to maintain environmental sustainability.