Floristic Composition and Vegetation Analysis in Suez Governorate, Egypt

The present study provides a detailed depiction of the floristic composition and vegetation analysis of four habitats in Suez Governorate, Egypt. The investigated habitats include desert, waste lands, crop fields and orchards. A total of 107 species (56 annuals, 2 biennials and 49 perennials) belonging to 93 genera and 33 families were recorded in the study area. The most represented families were Asteraceae, Poaecae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae and Chenopodiaceae. Therophytes were the most prevailing life-forms. Chorological analysis revealed that the Saharo-Sindian and Mediterranean chorotypes either pure or extended into other regions form the major component of the floristic structure. The application of TWINSPAN classification technique on the importance values of 107 plant species recorded in 40 stands representing the studied habitats produced four vegetation groups named after their dominant species. Group A: dominated by Zygophyllum coccineum, group B: dominated by Tamarix nilotica, group C: dominated by Beta vulgaris, Chenopodium murale and Melilotus messanensis and group D: dominated by Oxalis corniculata. Species richness, Shannon-Wiener and Simpson indices measurements indicated that vegetation groups D and C were the most diverse ones, followed by groups A and B. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) results indicated a reasonable segregation among these groups along the first and second axes. Linear correlation of soil variables with the importance values of some dominant species and the application of Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA- biplot) indicated significant correlation between species distribution of the studied habitats and the soil variables such as, soil texture, organic matter, CaCo3, pH, electrical conductivity, bicarbonates, chlorides, sodium, magnesium, pota-ssium and calcium.