Variations in Vegetation Structure, Species Dominance and Plant Communities in South of the Eastern Desert-Egypt

Abstract

For two successive years, the floristic diversity and vegetation composition in the southern part of the Eastern Desert ofEgypt were investigated through four transects (3 crossing the Eastern Desert and one along the Red Sea). The data collected from 142 stands covering the study area included the species composition, functional groups, chorology and occurrences (Qvalues). A total of 94 plant species belonging to 33 different families were recorded, with Asteracea, Zygophyllaceae, Fabaceae,Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Brassicaceae as the largest families. Shrubs represented the largest functional group (39.4%), while perennial herbs represented the smallest ones (12.8%). Species occurrence (Q-value) revealed that Zilla spinosa, Acacia tortilis subsp raddiana, Morettia philaeana, Caroxylon imbricatum, Zygophyllum coccineum and Citrullus colocynthis had wide ecological range of distribution (dominant species, Q-values 0.2). Saharo-Arabian chorotype was highly represented (72.6 %) in the flora of this area, eventually as mono, bi or pluriregional. Classification of the data set yielded 7 vegetation groups included: (A) Zilla spinosa-Morettia philaeana, (B1) Zilla spinosa-Citrullus colocynthis-Morettia philaeana, (B2) Zilla spinosa, (C1)Zygophyllum album-Tamarix nilotica, (C2) Zygophyllum coccineum-Tamarix nilotica, (D1) Zilla spinosa-Zygophyllum coccineum and (D2) Zilla spinosa-Acacia tortilis subsp. raddiana-Tamarix aphylla-Balanites aegyptiaca. Certain vegetation groups were assigned to one or more transects. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) revealed that electrical conductivity, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chlorides, moisture content, sulphates, pH, organic matter and gravel were the soil variables that affect the species distribution in this study.

Vegetation Analysis and Soil Characteristics on Two Species of Genus <i>Achillea</i> Growing in Egyptian Desert

“…Moreover, the application of Canoncal Correspondence Analysis (CCA-biplot) between the position of vegetation groups on the ordination planes and soil variables of their stands indicated that, the most important soil factors affecting the distribution of vegetation in the studied areas were: the electrical conductivity, sulphate, pH, calcium carbonate, potassium adsorption ratio (PAR), cations, carbonate and bicarbonates. These results agreed more or less with those investigated by Galal and Fawzy [42], Salama et al [31], El-Amier and Abdulkader [32].…”

“…Groups A and B may represent the vegetation types of the Western Mediterranean coast of Egypt, while groups C and D may represent the WadiHagul. The identified vegetation groups in the present study were obviously similar to those investigated by Mashaly [28], Abd El-Ghani et al [39], Zahran et al [26], Salama et al [31] and El-Amier et al [33] [34].…”

“…Family Asteraceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae and Zygophyllaceae are represented collectively by 48 species (64.86% of the total number of the recorded species). These leading families were reported to be the most frequent in the desert in other investigations by El-Amier et al [33], Salama et al [31] and El-Amier et al [34].…”

Effect of the recent land use on the plant diversity and community structure of Omayed Biosphere Reserve, Egypt

“…As indicated by CCA organic matter, Na, CaCO 3 , Mg, pH and salinity (electrical conductivity) contribute significantly to the distribution of plant species and plant communities in the study area. This finding had been reported by (Abd El-Ghani and Amer, 2003;Hegazy et al, 2004;SUMAMAD, 2014;Salama et al, 2014). Abd El-Ghani (1998) indicated that organic matter played an important role as a key element in soil fertility, and distribution of plant species.…”

Association of Morphological, Ecological, and Genetic Diversity of Aerva javanica Populations Growing in the Eastern Desert of Egypt

“…The soil characteristics, particularly Na, Ca, K, Mg, Cl, SO 4 , pH, EC, gravels, and moisture contents, play essential roles in the vegetation groups in the Eastern Desert of Egypt [50]. The presence of some medicinal species in large groups of the Eastern Desert of Egypt reflects its capability to remain under various environmental systems [25,49].…”