Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(10) 310-325 ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 3 Number 10 (2014) pp. 310-325 http://www.ijcmas.com Original Research Article Conservation condition of Haloxylon salicornicum (Moq.) Bunge ex Boiss. in degraded desert habitats of northern Kuwait Raafat Hassan ABD El-WAHAB1,2*, Ahmad Rashed Al-RASHED2, and Yousef Al-HAMAD2 1Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt 2Science Department, Faculty of Basic Education, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Adailiya 73251, Kuwait *Corresponding author A B S T R A C T The present study aims to analyse the effects of more than 10 years of in situ conservation on vegetation structure and soil conditions of desert habitats dominated by Haloxylon salicornicum. in northeast of Kuwait. Size measurements of Haloxylon shrubs and sediments of nabkas were carried out inside and outside K e y w o r d s Sabah Al-Ahmad Natural Reserve. Edaphic conditions of nabkas and interspaces were analysed. Analysis of variance and t test show significant variations of nabka Conservation, vegetation structures and most of soil conditions between disturbed and non- Human disturbed sites. Differences of soil conditions between nabkas and interspaces are impacts, significant in non-disturbed sites. Species richness, total plant cover, and size Land features of Haloxylon shrubs and nabkas in non-disturbed sites are higher and more degradation, developed than in disturbed sites. Size structure analysis indicates that Haloxylon Plant salicornicum is suffering population decline and should consider as vulnerable diversity, species in Kuwait. Human impacts are the main threats affecting the health and Nabka abundance of nabkas and causing land degradation and species loss. Management vegetation and conservation plan of degraded areas through establishing of permanent enclosures for a certain period of time and, where necessary, planting the natural dwarf shrub vegetation will speed up regeneration and restoration of the natural vegetation. Introduction Degradation of ecosystems and loss of (Kassas, 1995). The main features of biodiversity are considered global degradation in arid ecosystems include challenges with serious implications for reduction in vegetation productivity, sustainable use of the natural environment decrease in species diversity and increase in particularly in arid and semi-arid regions aeolian processes such as the erosion, (UNDP, 2012). As a part of arid regions, transportation and deposition of sand Kuwait has suffered severe land degradation (Dregne, 1986; Brown, 2003). In areas with 310 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(10) 310-325 degraded vegetation and human activities, studied by several authors (e.g., Khalaf et these aeolian processes lead to formation of al., 1995; Brown and Porembski, 1997, nabkas (Tengberg, 1995) around the base of 1998, 2000; Brown, 2003; Al-Dousari et al., perennial plants such as Haloxylon 2008; Abd El-Wahab and Al-Rashed, 2010; salicornicum (Abd El-Wahab and Al- El-Sheikh et al., 2010). However, Rashed, 2010). assessment of conservation condoition of nabkas in Kuwait are poorly known. Thus, Nabkas, which are also referred to as the present study aims to determine the nebkhas, phytogenic mounds, phytogenic effects of about 10 years of conservation in hillocks, coppices or vegetated dunes, are Sabah Al-Ahmad Natural Reserve on size distributed extensively throughout Arabian structure, species diversity, and soil desert (e.g., Batanouny and Batanouny, conditions of H. salicornicum nabkas based 1969; Khalaf et al., 1995; El-Bana et al., on comparative statistical analysis between 2003; Abd El-Wahab and Al-Rashed, 2010), disturbed and non-disturbed sites in the Sahel zone (Nickling and Wolfe, 1994; northeast of Kuwait. Tengberg, 1995), South Africa (Dougill and Thomas, 2002), New Mexico (Langford, Materials and Methods 2000), and China (Wang et al., 2006). Assessment of vegetation and nabkas Site description conditions have been considered as important indicators of wind erosion and Kuwait is a small country (about 17,800 land degradation in arid ecosystems (Khalaf km2) located in the north-eastern part of the et al., 1995; Dougill and Thomas, 2002; El- Arabian Peninsula. In general, Kuwait has Bana et al., 2003). gravelly and sandy desert topography of low to moderate relief (El-Baz and Al-Sarawi, Haloxylon salicornicum (Moq.) Bunge ex 2000). Northern areas of Kuwait are Boiss (local arabic name: rimth ) is a characterized by active aeolian processes diffuse dwarf shrub with much branched, including transportation and deposition of almost leafless, woody stems. Its vegetative sand. In these conditions, only plants like growth occurs mainly during late spring and Haloxylon shrubs which have a deep and early summer. Flowering takes place well-developed root system can thrive between September and October, and by (Batanouny and Batanouny, 1969; Halwagy January, abundant fruits have been produced et al., 1982; El-Sheikh et al., 2010). Sabah and shed. Haloxylon is widely distributed in Al-Ahmad Natural Reserve, about 330 km2, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, is located in the north-eastern part of Kuwait Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Afghanistan and (Figure 1). It was re-established and Pakistan. In Kuwait, H. salicornicum is one declared in 2004. The main geomorphologic of the main plant communities in northern feature in the area is Jal Al-Zor escarpment, and western areas (Halwagy et al., 1982; which is 145 m above sea level. The main Daoud and Al-Rawi, 1985; Omar et al., landforms characterizing Sabah Al-Ahmad 2007). Natural Reserve include gravel plains, slopes, wadis, shallow depressions, sand Variations in morphology and sediment plains, coastal sand dunes, and coastal salt characteristics of nabkas and their marshes. Nabkas are dominant in the last significance to plant diversity, wind erosion three landforms. The present work was and land degradation in Kuwait have been carried out in sand plains and coastal sand 311 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(10) 310-325 dunes, which are dominated mainly by reserve (disturbed sites), 25 quadrates each. Haloxylon salicornicum. Around the Geographical location of disturbed and non- individual shrubs, nabkas can be observed disturbed sites was measured using GPS which are elongated towards the southeast, receiver Trimble model . Plant species indicating that the prevailing wind direction growing in each quadrate were recorded. is from the northwest (Brown and Identification and life forms of plant species Porembski, 1997). were following to Daoud and Al-Rawi (1985), Boulos (1988) and Omar et al. Kuwait has a typical desert climate (2007). Species richness of disturbed and characterized by long hot and dry summer, non-disturbed sites was calculated as the short winter, wide temperature variations, average number of species per quadrate (i.e., and low amount of rainfall with a great number of species in 100 m2). Canopy irregularity in time and space. Average cover, maximum and minimum diameters, temperature during summer reaches 44 °C and canopy height (H) of Haloxylon during the day time and 23 °C during the salicornicum shrubs were measured. night. In winter, it reaches 15 °C during the Average diameter (D) and size index {(D + day and 3 °C during the night. The annual H) / 2} of Haloxylon shrubs were calculated. rainfall varies between 30 and 250 mm, Nabkas height (H), width (W), and length most of which falls during the winter and (L), were measured. The average diameter spring, mainly between November and April of nabka (D) was estimated as average of (Halwagy et al., 1982; Almedeij, 2012). The width and length. Size index of the nabka annual mean rainfall for the period of 1985 was calculated as average of diameter and till 2002 was 128 mm. Precipitation amount height. Nabka area was calculated using the decreases from north to south. Relative area of the ellipse: { }, where l humidity reaches 60% in winter and 20% in was taken as the nabka length and w the summer. Wind is mostly northwest with nabka width (El-Bana et al., 2003). Volume speed that reaches 60 km per hour during of nabka was calculated using half the cold weathers. Dust and sand storms volume of the cone: { }, where prevailing over the area primarily originate r was taken to be nabka height at the crest from southwest of Iraq. Dust storm in and h the nabka length (Dougill and Kuwait can occur during any month of the Thomas, 2002). year, but are most common between March and August. About 50% of dust storms Hundred surface soil samples (0-20 cm occur during May, June and July (El-Baz depth), two samples from each quadrate, and Al-Sarawi, 2000). were collected from nabkas and interspaces (i.e. the open areas between the nabkas). Sampling and analysis of nabka Soil samples were air-dried and sieved vegetation through 2 mm sieve to obtain representative sub-samples for chemical and physical Vegetation survey and soil sampling were analyses and to exclude gravels that are carried out at Sabah Al-Ahmad Natural relatively less reactive. Soil fraction analysis Reserve, northeast of Kuwait. Fifty using dry sieving (particle-size distribution) quadrates (10 × 10 m) were selected in and hygroscopic moisture were measured stratified random technique (Barbour et al., (Klute, 1986). Soil pH was measured in 1 : 1987) inside the natural reserve (non- 2.5 soil water extract. Soil electric disturbed sites) and outside the natural conductivity was measured in 1 : 1 soil 312 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(10) 310-325 water extract. Soil organic matter was Haloxylon community is accompanied by estimated by loss in ignition method. Total many ephemerals. The most frequent annual carbonate was measured using calcimeter. species include Schismus barbatus, Soil chemical analyses were done according Plantago boissieri, Ifloga spicata, Stipa to Sparks et al. (1996). capensis, Filago pyramidata, Erodium laciniatum, Reichardia tingitana and Lotus Statistical analysis of the data including halophilus (Table 2).