Investigation of Flora, Soil, and Biodiversity of Ecosystems in Arid Eastern Moroccan Rangelands

Abstract

Abstract Recently, pastoral ecosystem has been strongly studied by naturalists. However, phytoecological research must focus on species richness and enhance these ecosystems. The main objective of this research is to prove that the Moroccan pastoral ecosystem is very rich in terms of soil biodiversity and plant formations. In such areas, some pastoral plants maintain the physicochemical characteristics of soil. The field experiment was based on Braun-Blanquet sampling method with 90 surveys. The vegetation surveys carried out during the spring of the 2014–2018 period showed that there were 30 families, 23 orders, and 99 plant species (47 perennial species and 52 annual or biennial species). Of the 99 species inventoried, 14 species are very rare (RR) (14% of the total flora), six are rare (R), five are suspected rare (R?), three species are extinct or of doubtful presence (??), two are vulnerable (or seem to be), in decline, and could become rare in the short term (V), and one is a suspected very rare taxon (RR?). Investigation of life forms based on Raunkiaer method showed that there were various plants in different life forms. Among them, terophytes (47%) and 2% phanerophytes had the highest and the lowest plant species, respectively. This work led us to discover six species (Atractylis cancellata, Carduus pycnocephalus, Scorzonera angustifolia, Telephium sphaerospermum, Teucrium luteum, and Androsace maxima) and five types of rangeland in eastern Morocco. Chorology results showed a high proportion of Mediterranean biogeographic species in the study area, with a percentage of 35%. North African species followed the Mediterranean, with 14%. Euro-Mediterranean species constituted the major flora in the arid regions and played a significant role in the Mediterranean rangelands with 8%. The percentage of North African and Eurasian species was 6%, followed by North African and Asian species forming 4% of the total species. Eurasian, Paleo temperate, and Mediterranean Asian species had the same percentage (3%). The remains represented a low percentage, but contributed to the diversity and the richness of phytogeographic potential in the rangelands of eastern Morocco.