Diversity of plant communities in coastal salt marshes habitat in Kuwait

Abstract

Integration phytosociology combined with traditional measures of diversity is used to describe the patterns of vegetation diversity along the coastal salt marshes of Kuwait. This study assesses the plant communities and the environmental factors that govern species diversity and distribution in the coastal salt marshes using TWINSPAN, DCA, and regression analysis. The results focus on: (1) the environmental gradients observed are very complex; (2) stressful environments support low plant species diversity but high dominance; also, (3) natural factors (substrate and climate) are important at the zonation and diversity of plant community by changing in the habitat formation. Six vegetation groups were identified at level 3 of TWINSPAN. (I)Halocnemum strobilaceum-Juncus arabicus, (II)Halocnemum strobilaceum-Suaeda vermiculata, (III)Nitraria retusa-Zygophyllum qatarense, (IV)Zygophyllum qatarense-Haloxylon salicomicum, (V)Nitraria retusa, (VI)Tamarix aucherana. The community diversity is negatively correlated with soil salinity, moisture, organic matter, fine texture, minerals, and plant cover and positively correlated with sand. Community diversity is consistently affected by the result of active sand deposition and process of hummock formation (Nabkas). These results are discussed in terms of competition adaptation theory.