Phytosociological Studies on the Associated Species of Balanites aegyptiaca In The Eastern and Western Egyptian Deserts

Abstract

T HE CURRENT study offers quantification of soil, vegetation structure, and species distribution in 44 samples related to Balanites aegyptiaca in the Egyptian Deserts (the Eastern and Western Deserts). Egypt's Deserts were very dry. Throughout the research sites, 132 different plant species were counted. They belonged to 105 genera and 43 different families, and they were made up of 49 annuals and 83 perennials. The three largest families by the number of documented species are Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Fabaceae, which account for 33.33% of all recorded species. The most prevalent species, which represent a typical spectrum of desert life forms, were therophytes, phanerophytes, and chamaephytes. Six distinct vegetation groups, each with a distinct floristic composition, were identified after the classification of the vegetation was studied using the TWINSPAN technique. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) revealed that the first two DCA axes could distinguish these groups. Redundancy analysis (RDA) could also be used to effectively interpret and explain them. Sand, clay, water content, organic matter, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium contents all closely correlated with the first four redundancy axes and accounted for 76.1% of the species-environment relationships among the studied stands. The vegetation pattern in the study areas was clearly demonstrated by classification and ordination. Because this area of study seemed to have a simple xerophytic floristic composition with Saharan Arabian elements, it was relatively unaffected by human disturbances.