Plant diversity, dispersion, community similarity and vegetation description in united arab emirates. I. North western area

Abstract

Papers presented at The gulf symposium on Environmental biology, University of Qatar, 7-9 May 1994 *********** Plant population patterns in six natural communities (A-F) in the northern part of the UAE were studied. The study included: list of species and their frequencies; dispersion, species-area; diversity richness, heterogeneity, and evenness; community similarity indices; ordination; and cluster analysis. Recorded species were 39 with mean = 1.59, median = 1, variance = 0.77, and sd = 0.88. Dispersion index confirmed the presence of more uniform dispersion than random (P<0.01). Species-area varied among the six communities with a low proportion of variation (r ) in A and high D. Diversity richness indices were 2.22, 2.02, 1.36. 3.05, 4.9 and 1.6 in communities A, B, C, D, E, and F respectively (Margalef) and from 1.15 to 2.45 (Menhinick); Heterogeneity indices were from 8.2 to 9.6 (Simpson), 1.6 to 3.1 (Shan-on H'); Evenness indices were 0.99 to 0.95 (Pielou J'), 0.89 to 0.98 (Sheldon). Results of community similarity confirmed the ordination calculations and reflected 100% dissimilarity between B and D, B and F, and C and F; and an overall dissimilarity among all communities.