Abstract:

Aim of study: Aim was to characterize and analyses the vascular flora along coastal transect to continental of the Ait Baamrane region. Area of study: The territory of Ait Baâmrane is located in the South-central Morocco. Its location, in the nearness of the Atlantic Ocean, the Canary Islands, and the pre-Sahara, makes it a well-defined geographical entity where a large natural area is distinguished. Material and methods: The flora was characterized by the specific richness, the endemism and the conservation status. Further, plant diversity was evaluated by Shannon diversity, Evenness, disturbance and Jaccard similarity indices, as well as the plant functional groups were identified in three geographic zones; the littoral zone (A), the plateau’s zone (B), and the continental zone (C). Main results: The studied area highlighted an important floristic richness with 281 vascular species and subspecies. Therophytes are the most represented (43.42%). The endemic flora represented 21.35% of all inventoried species. Concerning the rate of threatened species, 7% of the inventoried flora were considered as threatened, and 11% are near threatened. The diversity parameters vary according to the continentality. Highlights: The studied region is quite diverse by its flora and endemic species. This diversity is linked to the global location of the region and particular ecological conditions.

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