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Journal of Arid Land
Journal of Arid Land  2024, Vol. 16 Issue (9): 1270-1287    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-024-0083-2

CSTR: 32276.14.JAL.02400832

Research article     
Thriving green havens in baking deserts: Plant diversity and species composition of urban plantations in the Sahara Desert
Mohammed SOUDDI1, Haroun CHENCHOUNI2,3,*(), M'hammed BOUALLALA1,4
1Laboratory of Saharan Natural Resources, Faculty of Nature and Life Sciences, University of Ahmed Draia-Adrar, Adrar 01000, Algeria
2Laboratory of Algerian Forests and Climate Change, Higher National School of Forests, Khenchela 40000, Algeria
3Laboratory of Natural Resources and Management of Sensitive Environments, University of Oum El Bouaghi, Oum El Bouaghi 04000, Algeria
4Higher School of Saharan Agriculture, Adrar 01000, Algeria
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Abstract  

Hot arid zones represent vital reservoirs of unique species and ecosystems, holding significant importance for biodiversity. This study aimed to explore the plant diversity associated with tree plantations in urban ecosystems under hyper-arid climatic conditions in the Sahara Desert of Algeria. In May 2022, 30 quadrats measuring 1 m2 each were established at the base of Phoenix dactylifera, Leucaena leucocephala, and Tamarix aphylla, corresponding to the dominant tree species in each of three plantations. In each quadrat, the plant quantitative inventory was conducted to measure plant diversity and similarity among the studied plantations. Based on this, we assessed the plant functional traits and rarity/abundance status of the flora. The findings revealed a diverse flora associated with the studied plantations, comprising 29 plant species grouped into 27 genera and 12 families. Notably, Poaceae (accounting for 30.8% of the flora), Asteraceae (25.0%), and Zygophyllaceae (21.6%) were well-represented. With an overall density of approximately 555 individuals/m2, Zygophyllum album (120 individuals/m2) and Polypogon monspeliensis (87 individuals/m2) emerged as the most abundant species. Functional trait analysis underscored the pivotal role of therophytes (constituting over 50.0% of the flora) and anemochorous species (33.0%-62.5%). Phytogeographic analysis emphasized the prevalence of the Saharo-Arabic element (constituting over 31.0% of the flora) and the Mediterranean Saharo-Arabic element (9.5%-21.5%). The Cosmopolitan element thrived under disturbance factors, recording percentages from 13.0% to 20.0% of the plant community. The rarity/abundance status of the flora emphasized the significance of rare, common, and very common species in the studied plantations. These findings could provide fundamental data for the effective control and management of biodiversity in hot hyper-arid urban ecosystems.

Key words： urban plantations      plant diversity      plant functional traits      rarity/abundance status      Sahara Desert      Algeria     
Received: 17 January 2024      Published: 30 September 2024
CLC:  32276.14.JAL.02400832  
Corresponding Authors: *Haroun CHENCHOUNI (E-mail: chenchouni@gmail.com)
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Mohammed SOUDDI
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Mohammed SOUDDI, Haroun CHENCHOUNI, M'hammed BOUALLALA. Thriving green havens in baking deserts: Plant diversity and species composition of urban plantations in the Sahara Desert. Journal of Arid Land, 2024, 16(9): 1270-1287.

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http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-024-0083-2     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2024/V16/I9/1270

Family Species n LF MT DT CT AA Occ
(%)		 Class
Occ		 Plantations
Amaranthaceae Bassia muricata 56 Ther Annual Zoo M-SA C 56.7 III Lle+Pda+Tap
Chenopodium murale 17 Ther Annual Baro Cosm R 16.7 I Lle+Pda+Tap
Salsola foetida 2 Cham Perennial Anemo SA R 3.3 I Pda
Apocynaceae Calotropis procera 18 Phan Perennial Anemo Tr-SA R 36.7 II Lle+Pda+Tap
Cynanchum acutum 1 Hemi Perennial Anemo M-As RR 3.3 I Pda
Pergularia tomentosa 5 Cham Perennial Anemo SA CC 13.3 I Lle+Pda
Asteraceae Aster squamatus 2 Ther Annual Anemo S-Am C 6.7 I Lle+Pda
Lactuca serriola 14 Ther Annual Anemo PTm AC 20.0 I Pda+Tap
Launaea glomerata 16 Ther Annual Anemo M-SA RR 30.0 II Lle+Pda+Tap
Launaea nudicaulis 51 Ther Annual Anemo SA CC 53.3 III Lle+Pda+Tap
Launaea resedifolia 2 Ther Annual Anemo M-SA CC 3.3 I Pda
Pulicaria arabica 15 Hemi Perennial Anemo SA AC 10.0 I Pda+Tap
Senecio massaicus 7 Ther Annual Anemo SA R 3.3 I Pda
Sonchus oleraceus 32 Ther Annual Anemo Cosm CCC 36.7 II Lle+Pda+Tap
Convovulaceae Merremia dissecta 2 Ther Annual Anthropo Tr-Am - 6.7 I Lle+Pda
Cucurbitaceae Colocynthis vulgaris 1 Ther Annual Anemo M-SA CC 3.3 I Lle
Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia granulate 1 Ther Annual Baro SA C 3.3 I Pda
Heliotropiaceae Heliotropium bacciferum 7 Cham Perennial Baro SA CC 16.7 I Lle+Pda+Tap
Orobanchaceae Cistanche phelypaea 6 Ther Annual Anemo M-SA C 6.7 I Lle+Tap
Poaceae Cutandia dichotoma 9 Ther Annual Anemo M C 16.7 I Lle+Pda
Cynodon dactylon 5 Hemi Perennial Baro Cosm CCC 3.3 I Pda
Imperata cylindrica 20 Hemi Perennial Anemo Tr-M-SA AC 3.3 I Pda
Lolium multiflorum 29 Ther Annual Baro M CC 33.3 II Lle+Pda+Tap
Phalaris minor 1 Ther Annual Zoo PSTr AR 3.3 I Lle
Phragmites australis 20 Hemi Perennial Anemo Cosm C 16.7 I Lle+Pda
Polypogon monspeliensis 87 Ther Annual Zoo PSTr CC 36.7 II Lle+Pda+Tap
Primulaceae Anagallis arvensis 1 Ther Annual Anemo Cosm R 3.3 I Tap
Resedaceae Randonia africana 8 Cham Perennial Baro SA R 16.7 I Lle+Tap
Zygophyllaceae Zygophyllum album 120 Cham Perennial Baro SA C 66.7 IV Lle+Pda+Tap
Table 1 Plant density, plant functional traits, and rarity/abundance status of plant species associated to the three urban plantations in the Sahara Desert of Algeria
Family Pda plantation Lle plantation Tap plantation Overall
Genus
richness		 Species
richness		 Genus
richness		 Species
richness		 Genus
richness		 Species
richness		 Genus
richness		 Species
richness
Amaranthaceae 3 (13.6%) 3 (12.5%) 2 (11.1%) 2 (10.5%) 2 (14.3%) 2 (13.3%) 3 (11.1%) 3 (10.3%)
Apocynaceae 3 (13.6%) 3 (12.5%) 2 (11.1%) 2 (10.5%) 1 (7.1%) 1 (6.7%) 3 (11.1%) 3 (10.3%)
Asteraceae 6 (27.3%) 8 (33.3%) 3 (16.7%) 4 (21.1%) 4 (28.6%) 5 (33.3%) 6 (22.2%) 8 (27.6%)
Convovulaceae 1 (4.5%) 1 (4.2%) 1 (5.6%) 1 (5.3%) - - 1 (3.7%) 1 (3.4%)
Cucurbitaceae - - 1 (5.6%) 1 (5.3%) - - 1 (3.7%) 1 (3.4%)
Euphorbiaceae 1 (4.5%) 1 (4.2%) - - - - 1 (3.7%) 1 (3.4%)
Heliotropiaceae 1 (4.5%) 1 (4.2%) 1 (5.6%) 1 (5.3%) 1 (7.1%) 1 (6.7%) 1 (3.7%) 1 (3.4%)
Orobanchaceae - - 1 (5.6%) 1 (5.3%) 1 (7.1%) 1 (6.7%) 1 (3.7%) 1 (3.4%)
Poaceae 6 (27.3%) 6 (25.0%) 5 (27.8%) 5 (26.3%) 2 (14.3%) 2 (13.3%) 7 (25.9%) 7 (24.1%)
Primulaceae - - - - 1 (7.1%) 1 (6.7%) 1 (3.7%) 1 (3.4%)
Resedaceae - - 1 (5.6%) 1 (5.3%) 1 (7.1%) 1 (6.7%) 1 (3.7%) 1 (3.4%)
Zygophyllaceae 1 (4.5%) 1 (4.2%) 1 (5.6%) 1 (5.3%) 1 (7.1%) 1 (6.7%) 1 (3.7%) 1 (3.4%)
Total 22 (100.0%) 24 (100.0%) 18 (100.0%) 19 (100.0%) 14 (100.0%) 15 (100.0%) 27 (100.0%) 29 (100.0%)
Table 2 Genus richness and species richness for different plant families identified in the three urban plantations in the Sahara Desert of Algeria
Fig. 1 Venn diagram illustrating the partitioning of plant species richness in the three urban plantations in the Sahara Desert of Algeria
Estimate index Lle-Pda plantations Lle-Tap plantations Pda-Tap plantations
Number of shared species observed in the two plantations 15 12 12
Estimated number of Chao-shared species 18.5 12.3 12.1
Classic Jaccard index (%) 53.6 54.5 44.4
Classic Sørensen index (%) 69.8 70.6 61.5
Raw Chao-Jaccard index (%) 70.5 82.2 65.6
Estimated Chao-Jaccard index (%) 73.0 83.2 66.0
Raw Chao-Sørensen index (%) 82.7 90.2 79.2
Estimated Chao-Sørensen index (%) 84.4 90.9 79.5
Morisita-Horn index (%) 73.1 78.1 79.0
Bray-Curtis index (%) 59.0 63.8 61.5
Table 3 Qualitative and quantitative similarity estimates of plant community composition between each two urban plantations in the Sahara Desert of Algeria
Diversity index Pda plantation Lle plantation Tap plantation
Species richness 24 19 15
Shannon-Wiener index 2.73 2.26 2.35
Equitability index 0.86 0.77 0.87
Chao-1 index 29 24 15
Simpson's diversity index 0.91 0.84 0.88
Brillouin index 2.52 2.10 2.21
Margalef index 4.41 3.46 2.67
Berger-Parker index 0.16 0.34 0.21
Table 4 Plant diversity indices of plant communities associated with the three urban plantations in the Sahara Desert of Algeria
Fig. 2 Distribution of different life forms (a), morphological types (b), dispersal types (c), and chorological types (d) identified in the three urban plantations in the Sahara Desert of Algeria in both raw and real spectra. Pda, Phoenix dactylifera; Lle, Leucaena leucocephala; Tap, Tamarix aphylla. Ther, therophyte; Cham, chamaephyte; Phan, phanerophyte; Hemi, hemicryptophytes; Anthropo, anthropochore; Anemo, anemochore; Baro, barochore; Zoo, zoochore; Cosm, Cosmopolitan; Med, Mediterranean; M-As, Mediterrano-Asian; M-SA, Mediterranean Saharo-Arabian; PSTr, Paleo-subtropical; PTm, Paleo-temperate; SA, Saharo-Arabian; S-Am, South American.
Fig. 3 Rarity/abundance status of the flora in the three urban plantations in the Sahara Desert of Algeria in both raw and real spectra
Fig. 4 Alluvial diagram displaying the distribution of life forms, morphological types, dispersal types, chorological types, rarity/abundance status, and occurrence classes of the three urban plantations in the Sahara Desert of Algeria. Tr-M-SA, Tropico-Mediterranean Saharo-Arabian; Tr-Am, Tropico-American; Tr-SA, Tropico-Saharo-Arabian; AR, quite rare; R, rare; RR, very rare; AC, fairly common; C, common; CC, very common; CCC, particularly widespread. Class I is very rare species with frequency of occurrence<20.0%; Class II is rare species with frequency of occurrence varying from 20.0% to 40.0%; Class III is frequent species with frequency of occurrence varying from 40.0% to 60.0%; Class IV is abundant species with frequency of occurrence varying from 60.0%-80.0%.
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