Floristic Diversity and Halophytic Plant Communities of Lake Sif Lemnadi, Northern Sahara (Algeria)

This study aims to analyse the ecological and chorological characteristics of the flora of Lake Sif Lemnadi, located in the southeastern Saharan region of Algeria, to better understand this arid ecosystem's composition and floristic diversity. A biocoenotic analysis was carried out on four plots distributed according to the cardinal points of the site. In total, 14 species belonging to 9 families and 14 genera were recorded. Chamaephytes (50%) represented the dominant biological type, followed by hemicryptophytes (21.4%). For the frequency classes, the most represented categories were the very accidental and common species, each accounting for 42.9%. Perennial herbaceous plants dominated the morphological spectrum (50%). From a chorological perspective, species classified as Saharan elements were the best represented (35.7%). The vegetation cover ranged from 11.2% to 24.4%. The vegetation cover rate varied between 11.2% and 24.4%. The lakeshore vegetation was primarily dominated by halophytic species, mainly from the Amaranthaceae family. The variation in the total halophyte cover among plots was not influenced by their geographical orientation. These results highlight the ecological importance of Lake Sif Lemnadi as a refuge for Saharan halophytic communities and provide a baseline reference for the monitoring and conserving saline wetlands in Saharan contexts.