Habitat and vegetation of Lake Edku, Egypt | ||||
| Taeckholmia | ||||
| Article 4, Volume 25, Issue 1, 2005, Page 61-90 PDF (435.35 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/taec.2005.12304 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Kamal Shaltout  1; Magdi Ali2; Loutfy Hassan2; Tarek Galal3
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| 1Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University. | ||||
| 2Botany Department, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Aswan | ||||
| 3Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| The floristic features and plant communities of Lake Edku were analyzed using 150 sampled stands representing the apparent variation in habitats and vegetation. A total of 114 species of vascular plants were recorded. Life forms range from hydrophytes to phanerophytes, with the most species being therophytes, followed by geophytes-helophytes and hydrophytes. Four main habitats, differentiated into 11 zones, were recognized in this lake; 1- lake proper (includes shoreline, water edge and open water), 2- drain mouths (include terraces, slopes, water edge and open water), 3- islets, and 4- fish farms (include shoreline, water edge and open water). The vegetation of the drain and fish farm open waters is the most similar among the 11 zones. The drain slopes have the highest species richness), while the lake water edges have the lowest. Multivariate analysis of the vegetation and environmental variables of the 150 sampled stands led to the recognition of 15 vegetation groups. These groups were separated on the basis of the moisture gradient from the shoreline to the open water. They are named after their diagnostic species as follows: 1) Eichhornia crassipes, 2) Echinochloa stagnina- Eichhornia crassipes, 3) Ceratophyllum demersum-Eichhornia crassipes, 4) Potamogeton pectinatus, 5) Cyperus articulatus, 6) Typha domingensis, 7) Phragmites australis, 8) Arundo donax, 9) Juncus acutus-Typha domingensis, 10) Phragmites australis-Typha domingensis, 11) Halocnemum strobilaceum- Sarcocornia fruticosa, 12) Rumex dentatus-Suaeda vera, 13) Bassia indica- Limbarda crithmoides, 14) Centaurea calcitrapa and 15) Cynodon dactylon- Medicago polymorpha. The vegetation groups (i.e. communities) representing the open water zones were less diverse than those of the other groups particularly those of the shorelines. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| diversity; Flora; Lake Edku; Mediterranean coast; Vegetation | ||||
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