A comparison of plant communities in disturbed and undisturbed areas of Wied il-Għasel

Abstract

This work aims to compare vegetation communities in two parts of the same valley system in Malta. One area has been closed to public access for approximately 70 years whilst the second area has been open to the public throughout that time. This provides an opportunity to compare whether plant diversity differs between the two areas A Restricted Random Sampling method was employed to record plant cover within the two tracts of land involved. From this data, the species frequencies were calculated. Bare soil and bare rock cover were also recorded. The distribution of plant species as well as similarity between quadrats was determined by Cluster Analysis. The soil pH and its permeability over the two areas were also investigated. Results indicated that plant diversity differs across the two areas. On both areas, the study shows that there are certain species which are present in one area and absent from the other. This gives an indication that anthropogenic disturbance can cause a species diversity shift.