Vegetation types of the deltaic Mediterranean coast of Egypt and their environment

Abstract

Abstract. The delta section of the Mediterranean coast of Egypt canbe divided ecologically into four main habitats: salt marsh, sand formation, reed swamp and fertile non‐cultivated land. In each habitat vegetation types can be distinguished based on the dominance of single species. The salt marsh habitat comprises five such communities dominatedby: Zygophyllumaegyptium, inula crithmoides, Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Juncus acutus and Ha‐locnemum strobilaceum. The vegetation of the sand formation includes 11 communities dominatedby: Elymus farctus ssp.farctus, Alhagigraecorum, Cynodon dactylon, Heliotropium curassavicum, Stipagrostis lanata, Thyme‐laea hirsuta, Moltkiopsis ciliata, Asparagus stipularis and Pancratium maritimum (sand dunes), Cressa crética and Phragmites australis (sand flats). The reed swamp habitat is dominated by Typha domingensis. In the fertile non‐cultivatedlandAlhagigraecorum, Cynodon dactylon and Heliotropium curassavicum are the dominants.Quantitative cluster analysis revealed a lower number of clusters than there are dominance types, but on the whole the two systems are similar.Ordination and subsequent analysis of correlation between vegetation gradients and soilfactors showed that the decisive soil factors for the variation in salt marsh vegetation are moisture availability and CaC03 content, and for the sand formation soil moisture, ‐ fertility and ‐ salinity.