In the present study, a green, sustainable, simple and low-cost method was adopted for the synthesis of ZnO NPs, for the first time, using the aqueous extract of sea lavender, Limonium pruinosum (L.) Chaz., as a reducing, capping, and stabilizing agent. The obtained ZnO NPs were characterized using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–VIS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The UV–Vis spectra of the green synthesized ZnO NPs showed a strong absorption peak at about 370 nm. Both electron microscopy and XRD confirmed the hexagonal/cubic crystalline structure of ZnO NPs with an average size ~ 41 nm. It is worth noting that the cytotoxic effect of the ZnO NPs on the investigated cancer cells is dose-dependent. The IC₅₀ of skin cancer was obtained at 409.7 µg/ml ZnO NPs. Also, the phyto-synthesized nanoparticles exhibited potent antibacterial and antifungal activity particularly against Gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739) and the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans (ATCC 10221). Furthermore, they showed considerable antioxidant potential. Thus, making them a promising biocompatible candidate for pharmacological and therapeutic applications.

About one third of the earth’s land surface is covered by deserts that have low and variable rainfall, nutrient-poor soils, and little vegetation cover. Here, we focus on the goods and services offered by desert ecosystems using the northwestern coastal desert of Egypt extending from Burg El-Arab to El-Salloum as an example. We conducted field surveys and collected other data to identify the goods services and provided by native plant species. A total of 322 native plant species were compiled. The direct services provided by these native plants included sources of food, medicine, and energy; indirect vegetation services included promotion of biodiversity, water storage, and soil fertility. The plant diversity in this ecosystem provided economic service benefits, such as sources of fodder, fuel-wood, and traditional medicinal plants. Changes in land use and recent ill-managed human activities may influence the availability of these services and strongly impact biodiversity and habitat availability. Although deserts are fragile and support low levels of productivity, they provide a variety of goods and services whose continuing availability is contingent upon the adoption of rational land management practices

Prosopis juliflora is one of the most problematic invasive trees in tropical and subtropical regions. Understanding driving forces affecting the potential global distribution would help in managing its current and future spread. The role of climate on the global spatial distribution of P. juliflora has been well studied, but little is known about the role of soil and human impacts as potential drivers. Here, we used maximum entropy (MaxEnt) for species distribution modelling to understand the role of climate (C), soil (S) and human impacts (H), C+S, and C+S+H in controlling the potential invasion range of P. juliflora, and to project its global potential invasive risk. We defined the top threatened global biomes, as predicted by the best-selected model. The incorporation of the edaphic factors improved the model performance and enhanced the accuracy of the outcome. Our findings revealed that the potential invasion risk increases with increases in mean temperature of the driest quarter (Bio9), soil alkalinity and clay fractions. Arid and semi-arid lands are at the highest risk of invasion than other moist biomes.

In terms of plant diversity, the Mediterranean Basin is the world’s second richest hotspot, and one of the most important locations on the planet for endemic species. Despite the widespread acknowledgment of the region’s global importance for plant diversity, an up-to-date list of Mediterranean endemics is still unavailable. The available data are frequently insufficient or out of date at both the whole and the national levels. Therefore, the present study aimed at delimiting the Mediterranean floristic region, screening the Mediterranean endemics, and determining the habitats and phyto-geographical distribution of these taxa in Egypt. Hence, a preliminary list of 402 Mediterranean endemic taxa in Egypt was compiled from the available literature. Indeed, the present study has reduced this number to sixty-five (16.2%) Mediterranean endemics belonging to 49 genera and 22 families. Fifteen major habitats are supporting the Mediterranean endemics in Egypt. The most represented habitat was the non-saline depressions (20 taxa = 30.8%), followed by the coastal dunes (19 taxa = 29.2%). Moreover, the Mareotis (west) subsector was the richest with 57 taxa = 87.7%. In conclusion, it’s crucial to clearly define Mediterranean endemic plants and provide an updated documented database of these taxa for a given territory to help guide future management plans that support the conservation and sustainable use of these important species under the current thought-provoking devastating impacts of rapid anthropogenic and climate changes in the region.