الغطاء النباتي المصاحب لنبات الرطريط علي طول ساحل مدينة زليتن -ليبيا

Abstract

Zygophyllum coccenium is a perennial halophyte widely distributed in coastal areas and arid desert wadis in Libya with a wide ecological amplitude. In the current study, 40 sampled stands, the floristic features and chorology of Z. coccenium and its associated species along the coastal zone of Zliten City, Libya were addressed. In each stand, a list of all species with their families and life spans was documented. Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) and Principle Component analysis (PCA) ordination were applied for the sampled stands and plant samples. A total of 49 species belonging to 47 genera and 23 families were recorded. Four families (Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Chenopodiaceae) were the leading families, collectively contributing by 44.89% of the total number of surveyed species. Therophytes had the highest contribution (20 species, 40.82%, followed by phanerophytes (12 species, 24.49%), cryptophytes and chamaephytes (6 species each, 12.24% each), then hemicryptophytes (5 species, 10.2%). Mono-regional taxa were represented by 32.65%, bi-regional taxa by 30.61%, worldwide taxa by 18.37%, and pluri-regional taxa by 14.29%. Three plant groups/clusters were obtained and named after the dominant and codominant species with the highest importance values as follows: group A: Tamarix nilotica- Zygophyllum coccineum, group B: Acacia cyanophylla- Zygophyllum coccineum, and group C: Zygophyllum coccineum-Cakile maritima.