Vegetation types of Sinai desert region, Egypt

Background/Question/Methods

Although Sinai region is a global hotspot for desert vegetation, there is a lack of studies that provide a complete overview of its vegetation. We aim at giving a phytosociological overview of Sinai desert vegetation based on an extensive database and objective classification. We built a comprehensive database utilizing all available vegetation-plot data of the study area from published literature and own field surveys. We determined the database clustering tendency by a Hopkins’ test analysis and estimated its optimal number of clusters applying the Elbow method. We performed a cluster analysis using modified TWINSPAN and improved the outcome by applying Silhouette algorithms. We performed an NMDS. We draw distribution maps for each of the found vegetation types.

Results/Conclusions

Based on species composition, we distinguished 25 vegetation types representing four main vegetation groups: saline-inland, desert, mountainous, and ruderal vegetation. We found a high diversity in life forms, chorotypes, and alpha diversity of Sinai vegetation. Chamaephytes, hemicryptophytes and phanerophytes are the dominant life forms. Prevailing chorotypes are the Saharo-Arabian, Irano-Turanian, Mediterranean, and Sudanian. Sand flat and desert vegetation have the lowest mean species numbers. Mountainous vegetation are relatively species-rich. Vegetation on nutrient-rich soils have the highest mean species number.