Use of Vegetation as an Indicator for Soil Properties under Desert Conditions

摘要

Work was conducted in three areas as follows: Association analysis of desert vegetation: Specimens of 34 species of desert plants of the central Negev of Israel were studied. Normal and inverse association analysis was carried out and a good agreement was found between the vegetation units obtained by normal association analysis and the dominance ones. Block size did not markedly affect the vegetation units obtained. Soil moisture turnover: Rain water did not penetrate deeper than about 100 cm. Majority of available soil moisture disappeared from the upper soil layers during the first few weeks after the last effective rain. No marked differences between spring and late summer values of soil moisture of the deeper layers of soil were found. Sand cover and irrigation as affecting completion between leading desert psamophytes: Plant growth in loess-containing bags was better than in bags without. Increase in height of plants temporarily not irrigated was greater on sand during period without irrigation. Artemisia Monosperma grew better in dune sand bags while the other species in the loess covered by sand ones. (Author)