Vegetation ecology of phytogenic hillocks (nabkhas) in coastal habitats of Jal Az-Zor National Park, Kuwait: Role of patches and edaphic factors

Phytogenic sandy hillocks (Arab. ‘nabkha’) are very frequently occurring aeolian deposits along the coastal plain of Kuwait. We investigated the vegetation of 42 nabkhas in a coastal habitat of Jal Az-Zor National Park, Kuwait. Sixty-two species were recorded (47 annuals and 15 perennials) in the studied nabkhas. Four vegetation types were recognized after classifying the vegetation of the nabkhas by TWINSPAN. They were named after their dominating host species which are Nitraria retusa, Zygophyllum qatarense, Haloxylon salicornicum and Panicum turgidum. Using Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), we assessed the relationships between environmental gradients, floristic composition, species diversity, and geomorphology aspects of the studied habitats. Notable environmental variables affecting the distribution of the vegetation types in the study area were: geomorphological aspect, size of plants forming the core of the nabkha, moisture and nutrients contents, salinity, sand and silt components, and pH.