Classification and ordination of the main plant communities of the Eastern Hajar Mountains, Oman
2019
Abstract This article presents a quantitative description of the
plant communitiesof the Eastern Hajar Mountains of Oman and the primary environmental variables affecting their composition and distribution. Species inventories and
environmental datawere collected from 110 vegetation plots covering elevation from 1000 m to the highest point in the mountains at about 2200 m. Measurements of 12 environmental variables were used in the analysis: aspect, slope, annual rainfall,
soil pH, salinity, soil nutrients (N, P, K, Ca) and
soil texture(clay and silt).
Two Way Indicator Species Analysis(TWINSPAN) classification,
Detrended Correspondence Analysis(DCA) and
Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA) ordinations showed four well-distinguished
plant communities. Although some species overlap occurred in the transition zones between the communities, these
plant communitieswere characteristic for their zones. Annual rainfall, total nitrogen and total calcium were the most important environmental factors affecting the distribution of
plant communities. The high-altitude community was always distinctly identified using all different data treatments, while the lower-altitude communities tended mostly to overlap. Any grazing effect on
plant communitydistribution appears to be overridden by the other environmental variables.
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