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9 .    Survey Results

    9.1    Vegetation Communities 

     9.2    Ecological Relationships 

9.1      Vegetation Communities:

This part of the survey results comes from the plot analysis. This analysis was done on the main wadis separately.

                     Table 5: The number of plots surveyed in each wadi.

Five main vegetation communities were identified in the protected area. Plants dominance was based on two main recordings. Firstly, the number of individuals of the species and secondly on the plant coverage of each species in side the plot. As a result the dominant vegetation communities were:

• Haloxylon persicum Vegetation Community.

• Anabasis articulata Vegetation Community.

• Hammada salicornica Vegetation Community.

• Urginea maritima Vegetation Community.

• Mixed Vegetation Community.

     Below is a detailed analysis of each of the main wadis (see map 9):

          -          Wadi Marsad

Seven plots were surveyed in this wadi and the dominant vegetation community was found to be the Anabasis articulata vegetation community. This wadi is mainly a rocky granite wadi which is the best habitat for Anabasis articulata, more than all the other dominant species in the protected area. The range of coverage percentage of plants in this wadi is from 5-18%. It was clear that the southern part of the wadi (more rocky) had a high coverage of Anabasis articulata.

Table 6:

The other main species recorded in the plots according to abundance were: Zilla spinosa, Artemisia judaica Gymnocarpos decandrum and Fagonia glutinosa.

A high number of animal burrows were recorded inside the plots, especially where there was a high density of Anabasis articulata. It is generally known that the succulent leaves of this plant are considered a very suitable food for small mammals like gerbils (e.g. Gerbillus dasyurus).  

         -          Wadi Rumman

Eleven plots were surveyed in Wadi Rumman. The wadi generally is topographically diverse with strips of rocky areas penetrated by sandy areas and the dominant species differ according to the soil type.

Anabasis articulata was dominant in five plots. These five plots generally had hard soil, with stones covering a large percentage of the surface. Hammada salciornica was dominant in three plots where the soil was more sandy with smaller gravel and relatively softer than other plots. In the other two plots, Hammada salicornica and Anabasis articulata were co-dominant. These two plots are thought to present intermediate zones where both communities meet.

  Table 7:

Total percent coverage of all plant species ranged from 4-15% while the total number of individuals in different plots ranged from 17-266 individuals.

Other species that were also recorded in the wadi include Dipcadi erythraeum, Scorzonera judaica, Zilla spinosa and Colchicum sp.

Wadi Rumman is an active area for Bedouins. Many Bedouins tents were observed in the spring season coming to the area for its relatively green fields.