Analysis of coastal dune vegetation of Zemmouri (Boumerdes, Algeria)

Research has been carried out on the Eastern Algerian vegetation dunes coast area. These plant communities undergo climatic and anthropic degradations. Using multivariate analysis (correspondence analysis, ascending hierarchical clustering and canonical correspondence analysis), the spatial distribution of the species is studied by considering the various ecological gradients sites. The edaphic (salinity and granulometry) and topographic (distance with the sea) factors are the parameters which explain the best the floristic composition and the space organization of the phytocoenosis. Three sets of species are pointed out which correspond to the well defined units. Because of their low floristic richness, of 9 species on the embryonic dunes to 28 on the stabilized grey dunes, these natural floristic inheritances deserve protection measures and the restoration at the limits of grey dunes may be possible.