Weed Communities of Juniperus procera in Southwestern Saudi Arabia PDF

Keywords

Diversity, weed, classification, phytosociology, ordination, mountain, vegetation.

Abstract

This study deals with the recognition and description of the weed communities of Juniperus procera in the Al-Soudah area in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Species cover matrix of 34 annual and perennial species recorded in 80 stands were classified using cluster analyses and ordinate using DCA. Six vegetation groups were generated after the application of cluster technique. Life-form spectrum was found to be of high percentage of annual and perennial herbs and low percentage of perennial shrubs. The annual and perennial herbs are characterized by higher species richness and lower species turnover. The effect of soil variables (soil salinity, organic matter, K, N and Mg) on species diversity and abundance of these communities were assessed.