Checklist and life forms of plant species in contrasting climatic zones of Libya

Abstract

Little is still known about the composition and distribution of vegetation in the Mediterranean and Sahara regions of Libya, the two dominant climatic areas. In this study we identified the plant species and life form from a typical site in each region to assess the current state of the vegetation type. In the Mediterranean site, 238 plant species were found; therophytes formed 59% of the species identified, and included 11 endemic species, i.e. 15 % of all Libyan endemic species. In the Saharan site, only 167 plant species and 2 endemic species were found, also dominated by therophytes 49% . Three new record species for Libya were identified in the Saharan site. This study represents the first stage to explore a recently neglected flora

Keywords

• Vegetation distribution,Plant species,Libya,Mediterranean,Sahara

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