Egypt. J. Exp. Biol. (Bot.), 14(2): 267 – 278 (2018) © The Egyptian Society of Experimental Biology DOI: 10.5455/egyjebb.20180828111257 RESEARCH ARTICLE Aliaa Muhammad Refaat Ashraf Mohamed Youssef Mohamed Talaat El -Hennawy Hosny Abdel-Aziz Mossallam Vegetation analysis and correlations between soil variables and habitat diversity in Qaroun and Wadi El-Rayan Protected Areas, Western Desert, Egypt ABSTRACT: This study provides an analysis of vegetation and environmental relationships as well as * Ashraf Mohamed Youssef diversity patterns in the different habitats of ** Mohamed Talaat El-Hennawy Qaroun and Wadi El-Rayan Protected Areas, * Hosny Abdel -Aziz Mossallam Western Desert, Egypt. Habitat diversity is one of the important concepts in ecology that * Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Ain reflects the health status of ecosystems. Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. Using stratified random sampling technique, a ** Nature Conservation Sector, Ministry of total of 62 stands (100 m 2) were chosen to Environment, Egypt. represent the vegetation of different habitat. A total of 55 wild plant species (31 perennials and 24 annuals), belonging to 49 genera and 24 families, were recorded in the study area. ARTICLE CODE: 27.02.18 Poaceae, Fabaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Asteraceae are the most abundant families. Diversity indices; species richness, evenness, INTRODUCTION: Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were For decades, ecologists have attempted to calculated for each stand. Eighteen soil understand the relationships between soil variables were examined, and the results properties and plant diversity, as some soils are showed large variation among stands. Four associated with high richness in plant species vegetation groups were obtained from the (Whittaker et al., 2001; Escudero et al., 2015). Two-way cluster analysis classification Soil factors play an important role in generating (TWINSPAN) in the three main habitats. and maintaining plant diversity. Measuring habitat Environmental parameters correlations with diversity has become a key component of vegetation groups were determined using conservation ecology since the eighties and long Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) time after (Fuller and Langslow, 1986; Usher, and Detrended canonical correspondence 1986; Alsterberg et al., 2017). The physiographic analysis (DCCA). The results showed that soil and edaphic factors play a paramount role in the salinity indicators, soil moisture content and distribution of plant communities in the Western soil texture were the most critical factors Desert of Egypt (Ayyad, 1976). determining the habitat diversity in the study Fayoum is a depression, ~ 43 m below sea area. There are three main habitats found in level, in the heart of Egypt, between the Nile Delta the study area which are; wetlands, lowland and Upper Egypt. The depression is situated ca desert, and plain desert. Indicator species of 100 km southwest of Cairo and separated from the habitats were halophytes and xerophytes. the Nile by a 25-km strip of desert. It is connected to the Nile valley by the Hawara canal, through KEY WORDS: which Bahr Yousef is transporting the Nile water Habitat diversity, Qaroun, Wadi El-Rayan. and this is its only source of water. By time, Lake Qaroun starts collecting agricultural drainage water from neighbouring agricultural lands through two main drains; El- CORRESPONDENCE: Batts drain and El-Wadi drain. Since 1973, about Aliaa Muhammad Refaat 30% of this water has been diverted from El-Wadi drain to a second depression, Wadi El-Rayan, Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Ain south-west of El-Fayoum (El-Shabrawy and Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. Dumont, 2009). E-mail: [email protected] ISSN: 1687-7497 On Line ISSN: 2090 - 0503 http://my.ejmanger.com/ejeb/ 268 Egypt. J. Exp. Biol. (Bot.), 14(2): 267 – 278 (2018) In 1989; two protected areas (PAs) were including Wadi El-Rayan lakes (Fig. 1). In 1992; established within Fayoum Governorate, and WRPA is extended in area to be a home to Wadi classified among wetland PAs category, which are El-Hitan (Valley of the Whales) World Heritage Qaroun Protected Area (QPA), including Qaroun Site (Paleczny et al., 2007), these protected areas lake, and Wadi El-Rayan Protected Area (WRPA), are the locations of interest of this study (Fig. 1). Fig. 1. El-Fayoum depression showing Qaroun and Wadi El-Rayan Protected Areas. Coordinates centered between latitudes 29° 00’ and 29° 43’ N and longitudes 30° 00’ and 30° 50’ E. The produced map is georeferenced using ArcMap in ArcGIS Desktop version 10.5 (Esri, 2016). With the rise of cultivation and irrigation 2003; EEAA/NCS, 2007). As mentioned above, since the early part of this century, the salt load Qaroun lake is saline, a factor which obviously of the water reaching Qaroun has increased affects the vegetation that can grow along its significantly. Accordingly, Lake Qaroun is shores. The objective of the present study is to currently an enclosed, saline lake. Lake Qaroun study the vegetation composition of QPA and was only slightly brackish up until about 1884, WRPA and to investigate the relationship later the salinity of the lake has strongly between the vegetation and the soil factors at increased during the twentieth century from 8.5 both locations in the study area. gl−1 in 1905 to 38.0 gl−1 (~ salinity of sea water) Study Area: in 1980. The water salinity is low in the eastern QPA is located about 80 km southwest of and southern parts of Lake Qaroun and gradually Cairo. Encompassing an area of 1,354 km2, the increases north-westward (El-Shabrawy and protected area is centred on 29⁰ 24' and 29⁰ 43' Dumont, 2009; Baioumy et al., 2010). N, and 30⁰ 20' and 30⁰ 50' E. While, WRPA is in Salinity is obviously higher in Wadi El- the north of the western part of the Fayoum Rayan Lower Lake (LL) than in the Wadi El- Governorate, about 120 km southwest of Cairo, Rayan Upper Lake (UL). The salinity of the UL occupies a depression, at 60 m B.S.L., in the increases southward, due to the diluting effect of northern part of the western desert of Egypt drainage water in the north and the outflow between longitude 29° 00' and 29° 24' E and through the connecting channel which keeps latitude 30° 00' and 30° 34' N and now covering salinity constant or at least slows down total area of 1,759 km2. salinization (Abd Ellah, 1999). In 2010, the In general, the climate in the study area salinity of UL water reaches around 1,500 ppm has a typical desert environment, hot and dry while LL water salinity reaches 12,000 ppm in with scanty winter rain and bright sunshine some areas and up to 15,000 in the extreme throughout the year (Smith, 1984). According to areas (El-Hennawy, 2010). the aridity index (Ayyad and Ghabbour, 1986; The presence and creation of large bodies Hulme and Marsh, 1990; El-Shabrawy and of water in this hyper-arid area had a striking Dumont, 2009) the depression, containing both ecological impact as new species of plants PAs, was classified under arid to hyper-arid moved to the area (IUCN, 2000). Vegetation of climatic condition class. QPA and WRPA includes a wide diversity of habitats which are significant for wildlife. The MATERIAL AND METHODS: study area supports many types of habitats lie under three main habitat systems, which are; the Vegetation Analysis: lakes system, the wetland system, and the desert The field work of this study was undertaken system (Saleh, 1984; Amin, 1998; Serag et al., during winter 2016. To assess the vegetation ISSN: 1687-7497 On Line ISSN: 2090 - 0503 http://my.ejmanger.com/ejeb/ Refaat et al., Vegetation analysis and correlations between soil variables and habitat diversity in Qaroun and Wadi El-Rayan Areas 269 ecology in Fayoum PAs, two locations were then subjected to physical and chemical considered. The first location is the southern analyses (Carter and Gregorich, 2008). shore of Qaroun lake, while the second comprises A total of 18 soil physical and chemical the area surrounding El-Rayan lakes and the parameters were determined. For the dry connecting channel. samples, soil texture, water holding capacity Using stratified random sampling technique (WHC), porosity, amount of organic matter (OM) (Greig-Smith, 1983; Ludwig and Reynolds, 1988), and sulphate content were determined according 62 stands (100 m2 each) were selected to study to Piper (1947), while calcium carbonate content the vegetation in the different habitat study area was determined according to Jackson (1958). (44 stands (ID no. 1 to 44) at WRPA and 18 Soil solution (1: 5) was prepared and stands (ID no. 45 to 62) at QPA). 36 stands were electrical conductivity (EC) and pH values were selected to represent wetland habitat (18 stands recorded immediately using; YSI Incorporated from each location), 9 stands were selected from Model 33 conductivity meter, and Electrical-pH low-land desert habitat (in WRPA), and 17 stands meter Model Lutron pH 206, respectively; and from plain desert habitat (in WRPA). The total soluble salts (TSS) were then estimated geographic coordinates of the stands were (Jackson, 1958). In addition, Na+ and K+ recorded using a Geographic Positioning System concentration were estimated by Flame (GPS) (Model Garmin GPSmap®76) and the Photometer (Model PHF 80 Biologie produced map is georeferenced using ArcMap in Spectrophotometer), while Ca2+ and Mg2+ were ArcGIS Desktop version 10.5 (Esri, 2016). The determined using atomic absorption relative cover (Domin Scale method) (van der spectrometer (A Perkin-Elmer, Model 2380.USA) Maarel, 1979) was used to express the (Allen et al., 1986). Then, the sodium adsorption abundance of vegetation in the selected sites. ratio (SAR) was calculated after Reeve et al. Only green flourished parts of the plant were (1954). Bicarbonate was determined by titration considered, but the dry parts were completely against 0.1N HCl using Phenolphthalein as ignored.