An ecosystematic study of a semi-arid ecotone in the Northern part of Jordan

الملخص AR

-This study was conducted on a semi-arid ecotone in the Northern part of Jordan near Irbid City and it has been protected for more than 25 years.

After the establishment of Jordan University of Science and Technology in the area and an animal farm for the college of Agriculture, the flora in this site became under severe stress due to man interference, fire, the first time from the studied area and these are: Ferula biverticillata Lag., Argemone mexicana L., Reseda luteola L.

var.

Luteola, Smyrniopsis cachroides Boiss and Aegilops crassa Boiss.

subsp.

Vavilovi Zhuk.

Complete floristic analysis was conducted.

The following parameters were studied: type of diaspore, duration, life form, distribution affinities as well as species diversity using Shanon-Wiener Index.

Some socioecological parameters like frequency, density and abundance of species were considered overgrazing, drought and land misuse.

Survey of all vascular plants that grow naturally was done.

330 species of flowering plants belonging to 46 families.

The most dominant families were the Compositae (57 species) Leguminosae (38 species) and Poaceae (27 species).

Five species of flowering plants were newly recorded for