Influence of environmental factors on the floristic diversity and vegetation in the man-made habitats of new urban settlements, Egypt

Abstract

The relationship between floristic composition and soil characteristics of representative habitats in two new urban settlements were assessed in terms of species diversity and habitat variations. A total of 66 plots were surveyed and 13 environmental factors were analyzed from four main habitats (i.e. lawns, home gardens, waste lands and bounding desert) located in inner cities toward outskirts. A total of 249 plant species representing the main flora were recorded, including 138 cultivated species, 63 weeds, 44 xerophytes and 4 wild trees and shrubs. The greatest diverse habitat was the lawns (173 spp.), followed by home gardens (143 spp.), bounding desert (62 spp.) and the waste lands (39 spp.). Sixteen vegetation groups were identified from the four recognized habitats, and their controlling ecological factors were recorded. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) produced a similar pattern to that of the floristic Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA), demonstrating that weed/cultivated plant groups in the man-made habitats were highly associated with organic matter, clay, pH, calcium and bicarbonates; the halo/helophytic plant groups in waste lands with organic matter, chlorides, potassium and pH; whereas, the xerophytes groups in bounding desert with clay and sand gradient.