Plant functional types in Lake Nubia in relation to physicogeographic factors

The shoreline vegetation of Lake Nubia in Sudan was studied by means of morphological characteristics and functional traits of plants established-phase as published in literature reviews. The 57 species recorded in 83 sampling sites were classified according to 15 morphological traits into six Plant Functional Types (PFTs), using Two Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate the homogeneity of these groups in terms of their traits. The resulting PFTs were related to the physicogeographical variables measured (soil texture, soil moisture, soil thickness and elevation) using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The ratios in occurrences of the functional types were calculated per each moisture segment, and can be used as an indicator of the shoreline dynamics.