Ecologia Mediterranea
Ecologia Mediterranea
Ecologia Mediterranea
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N. BOUCHENEB, S.S. BENHOUHOU<br />
76<br />
The Tamarix aphylla and Farsetia<br />
ramosissima community<br />
This association corresponds to the floristic<br />
group E4 identified by the correspondence<br />
analysis (Figure 4). It is represented by fifteen<br />
relevés taken from wadi beds and nearby terraces<br />
on sandy soils. Altitude shows a small<br />
range of variation between 960 and 980 m.<br />
The association has been sampled in wadi Tin<br />
Amzi and wadi Tamanrasset (Figure 3).<br />
Our association is physiognomically dominated<br />
by Tamarix aphylla (L.) H. Karst. with<br />
the main companion species being: Calotropis<br />
procera and Leptadenia pyrotechnica<br />
(Table 5). The distinctive characteristic<br />
species of this association are Tamarix<br />
aphylla, Farsetia ramosissima Hochst. and<br />
Launaea mucronata (Forsk.) Muschler. For<br />
the wadis investigated, the second species was<br />
found only once while the third, an annual,<br />
was not encountered.<br />
Table 5 – The Tamarix aphylla and Farsetia ramosissima association.<br />
The study of the floristic content of the<br />
relevés enables us to relate our vegetation unit<br />
to the association of Tamarix aphylla-Farsetia<br />
ramosissima Quézel 1965. A close analysis<br />
of the species list making up the Tamarix<br />
aphylla-Farsetia ramosissima association<br />
shows a complex ecological association.<br />
Psammophilous species such as Tamarix<br />
aphylla, Calotropis procera, Tamarix gallica<br />
L., Leptadenia pyrotechnica and Chrozophora<br />
brocchiana are intermingled with species typical<br />
of the Acacia-Panicum desertic savannah<br />
such as Salvadora persica, Ziziphus lotus (L.)<br />
Desf., Acacia tortilis subsp. raddiana, Acacia<br />
ehrenbergiana and Balanites aegyptiaca.<br />
Such a complex edaphic situation, where<br />
psammophilous and chasmophilous species<br />
occur together, was already reported by<br />
Quézel (1965) for several wadi types in the<br />
Ahaggar. The author did not relate the<br />
Tamarix communities to higher units of the<br />
phytosociological framework because of this<br />
Quadrat number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15<br />
Area (m²) 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200<br />
Total cover (%) 30 30 25 40 20 20 20 30 25 25 20 15 45 30 20<br />
Altitude (m) 980 870 870 980 980 980 980 990 960 870 980 1460 930 1250 1070<br />
Number of Taxa 12 9 9 2 5 5 8 6 9 8 7 3 17 7 11<br />
Caracteristics of the association CP<br />
Tamarix aphylla 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 + + + + V<br />
Farsetia ramosissima . . . . . . . . . . . . + . . I<br />
Caracteristics of the Pergularieto-Pulicarietea Quézel 1965<br />
Acacia tortilis subsp. raddiana + 2 1 . + 2 + . . 1 + . . 3 . IV<br />
Acacia ehrenbergiana . + + . . . . . . 1 . . . + + III<br />
Panicum turgidum . + + . . . . . . + . . 1 + + III<br />
Pergularia tomentosa + + + . . . . . . . . . . . . II<br />
Ziziphus lotus . 1 . . + . . . . + . . . . . II<br />
Acacia albida . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . I<br />
Balanites aegyptiaca + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I<br />
Senna italica (Cassia aschrek)<br />
Psammophils<br />
+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I<br />
Leptadenia pyrotechnica + 2 2 . . . + . . + + . + . + IV<br />
Calotropis procera + . . . 1 1 + + . . + + 4 . 1 IV<br />
Tamarix gallica + . . . . + + . + . . . + . + III<br />
Salsola baryosma . . . . . . . 1 + . . . + 2 + III<br />
Artemisia campestris + . . . . . + . . . 1 . + + . III<br />
Salvadora persica . . . 2 2 + . . . . . . . . . II<br />
Cleome africana . . . . . . . . + . . . + . . II<br />
Colocynthis vulagaris . . . . . . . . . . . . + . + II<br />
Calligonum comosum . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . I<br />
Stipagrostis pungens<br />
Chasmophils<br />
. . . . . . . . . . . . + . . I<br />
Zilla spinosa 1 + + . . . 1 + + 1 + + 3 1 + V<br />
Pulicaria crispa + . + . . . . + 1 . + . + . + III<br />
Fagonia bruguieri + . . . . . . + + . . . 1 . 1 III<br />
Aerva javanica . + + . . . . . + . . . + . . III<br />
Pulicaria undulata . . . . . . + . + . . . + . . II<br />
Additional species: Artemisia judaica 1 (7), Stipagrostis obtusa + (13), Atractylis aristata + (1), Chrozophora brocchiana + (13),<br />
Euphorbia granulata + (13), Farsetia hamiltonii + (15), Helianthemum lipii + (13), Morettia canescens + (13), Moricandia arvensis + (13),<br />
Nucularia perrini + (9), Paronychia capitata + (13), Pituranthos scoparius + (14), Reseda villosa + (13), Tribulus terrestris + (4).<br />
ecologia mediterranea – Vol. 38 (2) – 2012