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Biodiversity 77..105 Kuwait J. Sci. Eng. 31 1) pp. 77-105, 2004 Biodiversity of plant communities in the Jal Az-Zor National Park, Kuwait MOHAMAD A. E. EL-SHEIKH* AND GHANIM A. ABBADI** *Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University Assuit Branch), P.O. Box 71524, Assuit, Egypt. E-mail: [email protected] **Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat13060, Kuwait, E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Jal Az-Zor National Park of Kuwait 330 km2); northwest of Kuwait Bay, provides an excellent basis for the study of the eect of protection on the biological resources in the arid zones which are being put under natural and human stress. Forty plots were selected to cover all habitats in the Park. Soil samples were collected in each plot and analyzed. Data was analyzed by application of the multivariate analysis and statistical programs. In Jal Az-Zor National Park, 139 species of vascular plants were identi®ed 45 perennials and 94 annuals belonging to 32 families). Saharo-Arabian elements have higher portion of the chorotypes. Five plant communities were described and recognized after application of TWINSPAN and DECORANA programs: I) Haloxylon salicornicum-Stipa capensis community, II) Cyperus conglomeratus- Plantago boissieri community, III) Zygophyllum qatarense community, IV) Nitraria retusa-Zygophyllum qatarense community and V) Halocnemum strobilaceum-Bienertia cycloptera community. The vegetation ordination indicates a sequence of communities correlated with soil moisture, salinity and physiographic variables. The distribution starting with the xerophytic communities that inhabit the desert plain, nonsaline depressions, ridges and ending with the hygrophilous halophytic species that inhabit the salt marshes near the Arabian Gulf. The desert plain, nonsaline depressions and rocky ridge habitats had higher species richness i.e. higher diversity) and low species dominance, this in contrast to the salt marsh plant communities. Keywords: Aridland, Biodiversity, Escarpment, Habitat heterogeneity, Saharo-Arabian. INTRODUCTION The loss of biological diversity in arid land due to aridity and human in¯uences is a key issue for ecologists. Our understanding of the importance of biological diversity is still vague and in need of considerable scienti®c studies Simberlo 1999, Peterson & McCune 2001). Diversity of plant communities is more highly valued now, since these plant communities become increasingly threatened by * The present address: Sciences Department, College of Education, Sohar, P.O.Box 135, Post code 311. Sultanate of Oman. 78 Mohamad A. E. El-Sheikh and Ghanim A. Abbadi the current environmental crisis. Therefore, biodiversity has become an important measure for the evaluation of ecosystems Magurran 1988). The value of biological resources, as an integral part of the natural heritage, should not be underestimated since it can yield sustainable bene®ts. Accelerated development of the desert has subjected the vulnerable ecosystems to almost non-restorable conditions Omar 2000). The recovery of plants from stress, such as drought, overgrazing, cutting vegetation, camping, o-road vehicles, trac and other human activities, tends to be slow in dryland ecosystems because of their low productivity. It is usually episodic, with more rapid recovery in years of above average rainfall El-Ghareeb & Bidak 1992). Kuwait as an arid land, is characterized by low humidity, little rainfall, sparse vegetation and intensive grazing. Therefore, protection of vegetation against drought and human activities by the establishment of enclosures in desert areas has been suggested as a feasible approach to halt land degradation and hasten rehabilitation of arid land Mirrah & Al-Diran 1986, 1987, Omar 1991). The Jal Az-Zor National Park is the largest and most diverse terrestrial ecosystem of the existing protected arid areas in Kuwait. Thus, it is hoped that the Park will play an important role in research dealing with vegetation dynamics, and vegetation restoration as well as the re-introduction of wildlife species. In that situation, we may want to consider questions such as: 1) What is the importance of the Park? 2) What are the basic characterizations of habitats and plant communities in the Park, in view of edaphic factors and plant diversity? 3) How can we assess ecological factors which aect the distribution and diversity of the plant communities in the Park? STUDY SITE Location Jal Az-Zor National Park is located in the northwest of Kuwait Bay 298 25'-298 41' N and 478 41' -478 55' E) and has a surface area of 330 km2 Fig 1a). It was established in 1986 and protected from human interference and livestock by a 2-m fence, and closed completely in 1999 Omar 2000). The area is generally ¯at with minor undulations. The signi®cant physical feature in the area is the Jal-Az-Zor escarpment, which rises to about 150m above mean sea level. and runs SN-NE parallel to the Arabian Gulf shore Fig. 1a). Behind the escarpment, the surface slopes gently away from the edge into the broad shallow depression of Umm Ar-Rimum. Geology The consolidated sediments of the Kuwait Group are exposed in the cli walls of the escarpment face and around the Umm Ar-Rimum depression. These sedimentary rock conglomerates comprise the Dibdibba, Jal Az-Zor, Mutlaà and Ghar Formations. The Kuwait Group rests on a subsurface Dammam Limestone Biodiversity of plant communities in the Jal Az-Zor National Park, Kuwait 79 Fig.1. a) Physiographic map of Jal Az-Zor National Park in Kuwait showing the prevailing habitats and plant communities identi®ed after the application of TWINSPAN. I. Haloxylon salicornicum- Stipa capensis, II. Cyperus conglomeratus- Plantago boissieri, III. Zygophyllum qatarense, IV. Nitraria retusa-Zygophyllum qatarense, V. Halocnemum strobilaceum- Bienertia cycloptera. 80 Mohamad A. E. El-Sheikh and Ghanim A. Abbadi Formation. Geological formations in the Park range in origin from the older Oligocene to Holocene such as inland surface deposits of gravel of coastal plain sabkhas Halwagy & Halwagy 1974a, Al-Sarawi 1982, Omar 2000). Land form Foursigni®canthabitatsarerecognizedintheJalAz-ZorParkbasedonthelandformandsoil characteristics Halwagy & Halwagy 1974a, Omar 2000). Moving from the Arabian Gulf shore to the inland interior they are arranged as follows: a-) The salt marshes: salt marshes are deltaic and tidal mud ¯ats of sandy to silty clays and contain many small and large ``nabkas'' ®xed dunes which consist of accumulated aeolian sands and muddy pellets developedaroundhalophyticshrubs), b-)Thecoastaldesertplain: betweenthesaltmarshes andthefootofJalAz-Zor,withawidthofabout2.5km.Thealtitudebetween 6.5-10mabove M.S.L.) and is characterized by a compact, hardpan soil), c-) The Jal Az-Zor ridge: this escarpment has an elevation of about 150 m above M.S.L., of which the upper 30-50 meters has a bold relief while the base is covered by loose sediments with many gullies, and d-) The non saline depression: behind the Jal Az-Zor ridge, the surface slopes gently away from the edge into a broad shallow depression, with a surface rich in silt and clay which sometimes ¯ooded by rainwater for a few weeks) Fig. 1a,b). Fig.1. b) Location map showing the distribution of 40 plots inside the dierent habitats of the study area. Biodiversity of plant communities in the Jal Az-Zor National Park, Kuwait 81 Climate The Kuwait climate is arid, with hot or very hot dry summers and cool to mildly rainy winters. Using the notation of Walter 1973), all months except January are to be regarded as arid Fig. 2). Mean annual temperature is 25.88C and average annual precipitation is 115.1 mm. Relative humidity is highest in January 43-84%) and lowest in June 13-40%). The rate of evaporation ranges from 4.6 mm/day in January to 22.9 mm/day in June. The prevailing winds are northwesterly which brings hot air in summer and cool air in winter. Annual mean wind speed is 4.5 m/s Halwagy et al. 1982). Fig.2. Climadiagram of Kuwait using the notation of Walter 1973). METHODS Vegetation survey Habitat types in the present study were de®ned on the basis of the physiographic position and phytosociological features recognized by previous workers e.g Halwagy & Halwagy 1974a, 1977, Omar 2000). The sampling process was carried out during March and April 2001, when most species were expected to be growing. Forty plots were selected at random in the study area, to cover the various vegetation and landform types. The size of each plot was about 50m x 50m. The number of plots per habitat ranged between 8 and 13 plots, depending on the habitat heterogeneity Appendix 1 and Fig. 1b). In each plot, species presence was recorded and a nomenclature was done according to Daoud & Al- Rawi 1985), Al-Rawi 1987) and Boulos & Al-Dosari 1994). Plant cover was estimated for each species quantitatively using the line intercept method Can®eld 1941) using four 50m long parallel lines with a distance of 10m between each line in each stand. 82 Mohamad A. E. El-Sheikh and Ghanim A. Abbadi Multivariate and diversity analysis The cover estimates of the 139 species in the 40 plots were subjected to: a) Two- way indication species analysis TWINSPAN), as a classi®ed technique, b) Detrended correspondence analysis DCA), as an ordination method. This follows the procedure of Hill 1979a,b). Species richness a -diversity) of each habitat and vegetation cluster was calculated as the average number of species per stand. Species turnover a-diversity) was calculated as the ratio between the total number of species recorded in a certain habitat or vegetation cluster and its à b-diversity. Shannon-Wiener index H=-Spi log pi)asaspeciesevenness 2 measure, and Simpson index C=Spi ) as a species dominance measure were calculated for habitat and vegetation clusters on the basis of the relative cover pi) of species Whittaker 1972, Pielou 1975). Soil analysis For each stand, four soil samples were collected at pro®les of 0-50 cm deep.
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