Vegetation analysis of Burullus Wetland: a RAMSAR site in Egypt

Abstract

We analyzed the vegetation of Lake Burullus at the deltaic Mediterranean coast of Egypt, the sand bar between its northern shore and Mediterranean Sea, the water courses that drain into the lake and the wetland around it. Our ultimate aim was to identify threatened species and communities and the environmental factors that affect their distribution in order to formulate a plan for their conservation. The total number of the recorded species was 197 (100 annuals and 97 perennials), including 12 floating and submerged hydrophytes. Three species are endemic to Egypt: two annuals (Sinapis arvensis subsp. allionii and Sonchus macrocarpus) and one perennial (Zygophyllum album var. album). Thirty-four species are rare allover Egypt (15 annuals and 19 perennials). The lake area included 10 types of habitat (sand formations, salt marshes, lake cuts, terraces, slopes, water edges and open water of the drains, islets, shores and lake). The vegetation was classified into 13 groups (i.e., plant communities). Six groups were dominated or co-dominated by the common reed (Phragmites australis); these groups occupied a wide environmental gradient from xeric to hydric habitats. Five other groups were dominated by halophytic species (Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Suaeda vera, Sarcocornia fruticosa, Halocnemum strobilaceum and Salsola Kali). The remaining two groups were dominated by the emergent Typha domingensis and the submerged Potamogeton pectinatus. Moisture, salinity and sedimentation were the main factors that governed the plant succession in this wetland.

Modeling Growth, Carbon Allocation and Nutrient Budgets of Phragmites australis in Lake Burullus, Egypt

“…Five other communities are dominated by halophytic plants (Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Suaeda vera, Sarcocornia fruticosa, Halocnemum strobilaceum, and Salsola kali). The remaining two communities are dominated by emergent Typha domingensis or submerged Potamogeton pectinatus (Shaltout and Al-Sodany 2008).…”

“…Phragmites australis occurs throughout Egypt (Täckholm 1974;Zahran and Willis 2009) and is a major component of reed stands along the shores of Lake Burullus close to the Deltaic Mediterranean coast (Shaltout and Al-Sodany 2008). This plant is considered as a valuable species in some regions of the world where its stands can maintain important ecosystem functions (e.g., Brix and Schierup 1989;Rooth et al 2003;Struyf et al 2007), while it is regarded as harmful in other regions, especially in the northeastern USA (e.g., Ailstock et al 2001).…”

Gravel pads of powerline towers as human-made habitats for ruderal vegetation in some Mediterranean wetlands of Egypt: Implications for management

“…These wetlands are valuable habitats of biodiversity including many rare and endemic species of halophytes, insects, reptiles, fishes and birds (Balletto and Casale, 1991;El-Bana et al, 2002;Cox et al, 2006;Shaltout and Al-Sodany, 2008;Blondel et al, 2010). However, they are among the most threatened ecosystems on earth due to the long history of interactions between humans and biodiversity loss (Zalidis et al, 1999).…”

Uptake of Ag, Co and Ni by the Organs of <i>Typha domingensis</i> (Pers.) Poir. ex Steud. in Lake Burullus and Their Potential Use As Contamination Indicators

“…is a warmtemperate and tropical regions plant that occurs everywhere in ditches and marshy places in Egypt [12,13]. It is one of the major components of vegetation stands along the shores of Lake Burullus close to the Deltaic Mediterranean coast [14]. T. domingensis is one of the emergent plants most commonly used in constructed wetlands for the enhancement of water quality in water treatment systems [10,15] due to its high growth rate and great capacity for heavy metals accumulation in its tissues [16,17].…”