Habitats differentiation between Cakile maritima Scop and Brassica tournefortii Gouan in the Nile Delta Coast, Egypt

Serag, M. S.; Khedr, Abdel Hamid A.; Abdulsamad, Haneen A.

doi:10.21608/sjdfs.2025.318622.1178

Habitats differentiation between Cakile maritima Scop and Brassica tournefortii Gouan in the Nile Delta Coast, Egypt

Document Type : Original articles

Authors

¹ Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University, Egypt

² Botany department, Faculty of Science. Damietta

³ Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University

10.21608/sjdfs.2025.318622.1178

Abstract

Zonation pattern and habitat differences of two wild crucifer plant species were studied in a relation to soil variables at 20 sites. The two species have different distributions range, Cakile maritima is restricted to the coastal zone close to the seashore, the other species, Brassica tournefortii, is more distributed landward. The habitats of C. maritima were distinct from the habitats of B. tournefortii, we have found that there is little ecological overlap between C. maritima and B. tournefortii (Group 2).

Four vegetation groups representing both Cakile maritima and Brassica tournefortii were identified in the study area. The Cakile maritima community is growing on sand bar and fore dunes. The Brassica tournefortii community is representing the sandy roadsides, cultivated land, and stabilized sand dunes. The cover abundance of C. maritima was positively correlated with EC, Na+, and K+ negatively correlated with CaCO3, TDS and pH. While B. tournefortii showed a positively correlated trend with CaCO3, TDS and pH and negatively correlated with EC, Na+ and K+.

Results suggest that the coastal C. maritima has narrower ecological amplitude than widespread B. tournefortii. These results showed the habitat differentiation of both wiled relative species. Further extensive studies for the adaptive mechanism are in needed.

Keywords