Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2014, Pages 257–268
Saadaoui Islem1, Ilahi Hayet2, Robin Bryant Christopher3, and Rejeb Hichem4
1 Research Unit "Horticulture, Landscape and Environment", University of Sousse, Higher Agonomic Institute of Chott Mariem, BP 47, 4042 Sousse, Tunisia
2 Research Unit "Horticulture, Landscape and Environment", University of Sousse, Higher Agonomic Institute of Chott Mariem, BP 47, 4042 Sousse, Tunisia
3 Laboratoire développement durable et dynamique territoriale, département de Géographie, Université de Montréal/Faculté des Arts et des Sciences, C. P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville Montréal QC H3C 3J7, Canada
4 Research Unit "Horticulture, Landscape and Environment", University of Sousse, Higher Agonomic Institute of Chott Mariem, BP 47, 4042 Sousse, Tunisia
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The study was conducted during 2013 in Bouchebka, located in the central west of Tunisia.Such territory has a typical landscape of the transfrontier region. The series of the forest in Bouchebka is a part of the great mass of Aleppo pine. It is distinguished by the importance of the forest area which covers 92 % of the surface area (19,700 ha). The study attempts to inventory the natural vegetation and characterize ecological terms while highlighting the importance of environmental conditions. The method is based on a phytoecological analysis to quantify the floristic richness and diversity of the ecosystem in the forest of mountains in Bouchebka on the basis of floristic surveys and transects distributed in a stratified, systematic sampling in different vegetation formations that were previously distinguished. Statistical analyzes were performed using the Factorial Correspondence Analysis (FCA). The results show that the forest is composed primarily of the Aleppo pine trees, these forests are characterized by the abundance of young feet (10-25 cm diameter class). The ecosystem includes 12 families and 17 genera, 26 species. Thus the study has identified that the biological spectrum of the study area is characterized by a clear dominance of shrubs (41%) and chamaephytes (32 %). The distribution of plant species is influenced by ecological features of the region: the results show that 82% of species are drought tolerant which shows the arid environment. The region is also characterized by its windy side: 32% of species spread via anemochory. Factor analysis showed a pastoral aspect in the study area, with a presence of cultured human action exerted on the forest land species. Phytological spectrum indicates a predominance of woody species reflecting a territory dominated by open grassy areas, predominantly reflecting an arid climate.
Author Keywords: Forest landscape, mountain, ecological traits, dynamic and floristic diversity, human impact.
Saadaoui Islem1, Ilahi Hayet2, Robin Bryant Christopher3, and Rejeb Hichem4
1 Research Unit "Horticulture, Landscape and Environment", University of Sousse, Higher Agonomic Institute of Chott Mariem, BP 47, 4042 Sousse, Tunisia
2 Research Unit "Horticulture, Landscape and Environment", University of Sousse, Higher Agonomic Institute of Chott Mariem, BP 47, 4042 Sousse, Tunisia
3 Laboratoire développement durable et dynamique territoriale, département de Géographie, Université de Montréal/Faculté des Arts et des Sciences, C. P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville Montréal QC H3C 3J7, Canada
4 Research Unit "Horticulture, Landscape and Environment", University of Sousse, Higher Agonomic Institute of Chott Mariem, BP 47, 4042 Sousse, Tunisia
Original language: English
Copyright © 2014 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The study was conducted during 2013 in Bouchebka, located in the central west of Tunisia.Such territory has a typical landscape of the transfrontier region. The series of the forest in Bouchebka is a part of the great mass of Aleppo pine. It is distinguished by the importance of the forest area which covers 92 % of the surface area (19,700 ha). The study attempts to inventory the natural vegetation and characterize ecological terms while highlighting the importance of environmental conditions. The method is based on a phytoecological analysis to quantify the floristic richness and diversity of the ecosystem in the forest of mountains in Bouchebka on the basis of floristic surveys and transects distributed in a stratified, systematic sampling in different vegetation formations that were previously distinguished. Statistical analyzes were performed using the Factorial Correspondence Analysis (FCA). The results show that the forest is composed primarily of the Aleppo pine trees, these forests are characterized by the abundance of young feet (10-25 cm diameter class). The ecosystem includes 12 families and 17 genera, 26 species. Thus the study has identified that the biological spectrum of the study area is characterized by a clear dominance of shrubs (41%) and chamaephytes (32 %). The distribution of plant species is influenced by ecological features of the region: the results show that 82% of species are drought tolerant which shows the arid environment. The region is also characterized by its windy side: 32% of species spread via anemochory. Factor analysis showed a pastoral aspect in the study area, with a presence of cultured human action exerted on the forest land species. Phytological spectrum indicates a predominance of woody species reflecting a territory dominated by open grassy areas, predominantly reflecting an arid climate.
Author Keywords: Forest landscape, mountain, ecological traits, dynamic and floristic diversity, human impact.
How to Cite this Article
Saadaoui Islem, Ilahi Hayet, Robin Bryant Christopher, and Rejeb Hichem, “Contribution to the study of the flora in the central-west of Tunisia: landscape dynamics and evaluation of plant biodiversity of mountain Bouchebka,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 257–268, June 2014.
