Heterogeneity of Soil and Vegetation in the Urban Habitats of New Industrial Cities in the Desert Landscape of Egypt

The relationship between vegetation and soil supporting the habitats in 4 new industrial cities were assessed. Five main habitats were distinguished from inner city toward outskirts: lawns, home gardens, public gardens, waste lands and desert outskirts. After application of Twinspan, 26 vegetation groups were identified in the 5 recognized habitats, demonstrating that some groups are chatracteristic of a certain city, e.g. <i>Asphodelus aestivus - Deverra tortuosa - Thymelaea hirsuta</i> group was confined to the desert habitat of Burg El-Arab city; <i>Thymelaea hirsuta</i> - <i>Linaria albifrons</i> and <i>Atriplex halimus - Atriplex lindleyi </i>subsp<i>. inflata - Suaeda vermiculata - Typha domingensis</i> groups were found in the waste lands of Burg El-Arab city; <i>Conyza bonariensis</i> - <i>Cynodon dactylon - Sonchus oleraceus</i> group in the home garden habitat of 10^th Ranadan city; <i>Cynodon dactylon </i>group in the lawns of Burg El-Arab city; <i>Bassia indica</i> -<i> Plantago major</i> group in the public gardens of Burg El-Arab city; <i>Oxalis corniculata - Plantago lagopus</i> group in the public gardens of 10^th Ramadan city; <i>Sonchus oleraceus</i> - <i>Cynodon dactylon </i>and<i> Dactyloctenium aegyptium - Leptochloa fusca - Phragmites australis</i> groups in the public gardens of 6^th October city. Silt, clay, organic matter, carbonates and carbon contents showed significant diffrences among the 5 habitats