Microhabitats Affect Population Size and Plant Vigor of Three Critically Endangered Endemic Plants in Southern Sinai Mountains, Egypt

Abstract

Endemic species on mountains often have narrow altitudinal ranges and are more threatened at the higher altitudes, especially with climate changes. However, plants could use special microhabitats at the mountain tops as proper places for surviving the climate change (i.e., refugia). We assessed population attributes of three critically endangered endemic species (Primula boveana Decne ex Duby, Rosa arabica Crep., and Silene leucophylla Boiss.) in two growing seasons (2006/2007 and 2013/2014), differing in the received rainfalls in microhabitats at the high mountains of southern Sinai. Both P. boveana and S. leucophylla had very small population size, but significantly increased in the 2013/2014 growing season which received above average rainfalls. The population of R. arabica is the smallest (around 40 individuals) and did not increase, even after the increase in rainfalls. Whereas P. boveana is present in fewer sites and grew in small number of specific microhabitats, both S. leucophylla and R. arabica were recorded in most studied sites and habitat types. Unlike R. arabica, both P. boveana and S. leucophylla were recorded in caves and steep slopes and on the top of the mountains. This indicates that these sheltered mist microhabitats are the best for future conservation of these species after climate change.

Oxidative Stress Responses of Some Endemic Plants to High Altitudes by Intensifying Antioxidants and Secondary Metabolites Content

“…SKP is the coolest area in Sinai owing to its high altitude [8,88]. The mean temperatures range from 5.4 to 25.2 • C, with the lowest temperature in January and February and the highest temperature in July and August [89]. Ayyad et al [13] stated that high mountains in the SKP receive higher amounts of precipitation (100 mm/year) as rain and snow.…”

Endemic Hemicryptophyte Grasslands of the High Mountains of the Caribbean

“…These communities are located only in supratropical environments above altitudes of 2000 metres on siliceous substrates. As these are environments exclusive to the Central Cordillera in the Dominican Republic, they represent endemic habitats with a high ecological value [67].…”

Phylogenetic relationships and DNA barcoding of nine endangered medicinal plant species endemic to Saint Katherine protectorate

“…The recent progress of the socioeconomics and tourism industry in Sinai is focused on the evaluation of its natural resources such as soil, water, animals, and plant wildlife ( Kaky and Gilbert, 2020 ) . Studies evaluating these natural resources and tracking changes taking place are urgently needed, particularly on the ecological and molecular levels, on the endemic medicinal plants ( Ayyad et al, 2000 , El-Barougy et al, 2020 , Fakhry et al, 2019 ) . In southern Sinai, there are over 61 rare plant species, some of which are endangered or threatened near-endemics and endemics ( Moustafa and Klopatek, 1995 ) .…”