THE MAINTENANCE OF SPECIES-DIVERSITY BY MINIATURE DUNES IN A SAND-DEPLETED HALOXYLON SALICORNICUM COMMUNITY IN KUWAIT

Dwarf shrubs play a predominant role in the natural vegetation cover o f Kuwait, with the chenopod Haloxylon salicornicum widespread in north ern parts of the country. A number of influences, largely anthropogeni c in nature, have led to serious land degradation in many areas. The p resent study deals with species diversity and other floristic attribut es of the ephemeral vegetation in a sand-depleted Haloxylon salicornic um community, contrasting the situation of miniature dunes formed at t he base of shrubs with that of the interdune space. The importance of such dunes and their associated shrub cover as a protection against fu rther land deterioration is examined. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.