Abstract
In this study, we evaluated the species diversity, density, cover, and size index of plant species within and outside 37 enclosures in the South Sinai mountainous region (Egypt), which had been protected for six years (March 2012–March 2018) against over-grazing and over-cutting for medicinal and fuel purposes. Within and outside the enclosures, the plant species were recorded, and their density (individuals per 100 m2) and cover (cm per 100 cm) were estimated using the line-intercept method. The biovolume of each individual of each species was calculated as the average of its height and diameter. The species richness was calculated as the average number of species per enclosure, and the species turnover was calculated as the ratio between the total number of species and the species richness. The relative evenness was calculated using the Shannon–Weaver index, whereas the relative concentration of dominance was calculated using the Simpson index. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was applied to ordinate the vegetation inside and outside the enclosures depending on the species cover. The unpaired t-test was applied to assess the statistically significant differences in the species density, cover, and biovolume inside and outside the enclosures. By the end of the six-year period, the vegetation pattern inside the enclosures became more or less stable, presumably because of the stopping of grazing and cutting, which also led to an increase in the plant diversity, density, and cover. In general, the protection of vegetation in South Sinai improved its diversity, density, and cover. In addition, the topographic and physiographic heterogeneity in this region results in microclimatic variations, which play a major role in governing its natural vegetation.
Highlights
IntroductionWairore et al, [1], in their study in west Pokot County (Kenya), reported that the enclosures have the potential of contributing to the resilience of vegetation in this region
One hundred and two species were recorded in the mountainous ecosystem: 41 both within and outside the enclosures (Table 2), another 41 only within the enclosures, and 20 only outside the enclosures (Supplementary Materials)
Most of the 41 species recorded within the enclosures occupied only one to two enclosures with negligible cover
Summary
Wairore et al, [1], in their study in west Pokot County (Kenya), reported that the enclosures have the potential of contributing to the resilience of vegetation in this region. Rong et al, [2] in the Junggar Basin (China), reported that excluding sheep grazing from a desert steppe for eight years increased plant cover and approximately tripled the biomass of the standing vegetation, the shrub component. The diversity components as measured by the Simpson and Shannon–Wiener indices did not differ between the grazed and ungrazed areas. The study of Teketay et al, [3] on the woodland in northern Botswana recorded that the enclosure had a seven-times higher mean density of woody species compared to outside of it, with exceptional regeneration of the seedlings inside. In the highlands of Tigray (Northern Ethiopia), Gebremedihin et al [4]
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