Intra-city railway areas are deemed large greenspaces and are believed to be key in enhancing the diversity and dynamics of urban flora. In the current study, the floristic composition and diversity along intra-city railway and tram tracks in Alexandria were surveyed. The floristic composition of the plant communities in relation to environmental factors, ecological indicators, and level of human impact was analyzed using multivariate analysis (two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) for classification and detrended correspondence analysis (DECORANA) for ordination. The multivariate ordination techniques (CCA) revealed differences in the environmental factors and climatic factors influencing the floristic composition of the railway and tram track habitats. Tram tracks suffered higher human impact while maintaining higher vitality and cover compared to train tracks. Species recorded were mainly therophytes, followed by phanerophytes and hemicryptophytes dominated by native species; however, invasive species’ contribution was higher compared to surrounding regions. The number of invasive species was greater in railway areas compared to tram track areas (19 and 15, respectively). The occurrence of two endemic species (Sinapis allionii and Sonchus macrocarpus) with limited national distribution highlights the importance of these habitats as valuable refuge areas for rare and endangered species worthy of conservation action.

The role of heritage sites as a shelter for biodiversity is overlooked. Eight archeological sites representing different landscapes in Alexandria City were surveyed, from which 59 stands were sampled between April 2019 and March 2021. The archeological sites and the relictual landscapes are geographically dispersed and are arranged here from west to east, representing the full range of environmental variation within the study area. The selection of stands in each site was based on the area and the variability within the habitats, the physiography, and the levels of disturbance. A composite soil sample was collected from each site. Two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) and detrended correspondence analysis (DECORANA) were carried out to identify the plant communities in the study area. The recorded taxa, their national geographical distribution, life forms, habitats, chorological types, and vegetation groups are listed. A total of 221 specific taxa, 172 native and 49 alien non-native species (representing some 10.3% of the whole range of Egyptian flora), belonging to 150 genera and 44 families, are reported in the present study. Only two endemic species were recorded in the studied urban habitats. The phytosociological analysis of the sites showed differences among vegetation types found in the archeological sites as a function of the varying degrees of enthronization. A significant effect of archeological site and relictual landscape on species diversity was observed as indicated using the richness, Shannon’s and Simpson’s indices. Flat plains are substantially more diverse than any of the other habitats in the present study, followed by the habitat of rocky ridge slope. The present study found evidence of an ecological legacy that persists today within the semi-arid climatic ecosystem of Alexandria City. The study highlights the urgent need for measures to maintain cultural landscapes while considering the conservation of biodiversity within the archeological sites. It is hoped that the outcomes of the current study can provide guidance on the potential integration of biodiversity conservation in planning the management of archeological sites.

In this study, Retama monosperma extract (RME) was used for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (RME-AgNPs).

Sesuvium portulacastrum is a perennial halophyte of family Aizoaceae, non-native to Egypt, which was introduced from France ten years ago as an ornamental species. This study reports the detection of S. portulacastrum in the wild in Egypt. Voucher specimens were deposited in the Herbarium of Alexandria University (ALEX). A population of the species was recorded in the wild near Maruit Lake in the north-western coast of Egypt in 2018 during plant resources surveys of the region. The study aimed to assess the potential for S. portulacastrum to spread as an alien species through field observations and geospatial measurements under current conditions in its new habitat. The measured morphological parameters were higher than those recorded in its native habitats. The field observation for three years revealed that the species is proliferating and expanding in the investigated site forming large mats of mean size of up to 9 m². The spatial extent of S. portulacastrum based on the EOO and AOO was quantified, and the expansion rate was estimated at 0.16 ha/year in the investigated site. The geospatial parameter used in the study will not only help in determining the spread rate of the alien species spatially and temporally, but also in its effective management through guiding managers in developing monitoring plans for the species under the changing climate uncertainty. Continuous monitoring and early detection of any potential threats of the introduced species are highly recommended, to avert any potential adverse impacts on native biodiversity and assess its behaviour in the wild habitat.

Climate change and anthropogenic activities present significant long-term threats to global biodiversity. To effectively reduce species loss, conservation strategies must rely on detailed insights into suitable habitats for different species and the factors influencing their distribution. This research aimed to provide a checklist of the plant species on the Mediterranean coastal sand dunes in Egypt and investigated the potential impact of anthropogenic and climate change on its distribution in Egypt over the next several decades using remote sensing and species distribution modeling (SDM). The current study revealed that Egypt’s Mediterranean coastal sand dunes host 236 plant taxa, comprising 212 species, 5 varieties, and 19 subspecies, distributed across 75 genera and 39 families. An ensemble modeling approach was employed, incorporating five key. Among these, Random Forest (RF), Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) demonstrated the highest performance. For remote sensing, Landsat imagery (including Thematic Mapper (TM), and Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensors) was utilized. Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification, implemented via Google Earth Engine (GEE), was employed to analyze land use/cover changes. Additionally, future land use projections for 2080 were generated using the CA-Markov simulation model. The study detected major changes in land use along the Mediterranean coast from 1988 to 2024, with projections extending to 2050 and 2070. Based on the ensemble model, the primary environmental drivers of sand dune vegetation were distance from the shoreline, soil organic carbon, precipitation patterns (both total in the wettest month and seasonality), and sand content. The landscape was significantly transformed by the expansion of urban areas, agriculture, and aquaculture. Vegetation diversity is abundant in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean dunes, but scarce in the Deltaic Mediterranean dunes. Future projections using the IPSL-CM6A-LR GCM model for 2050 and 2070, under two climate scenarios (sustainable and low-emissions future: SSP126 and very high greenhouse gas emission: SSP585), suggested a decline in suitable habitat compared to current conditions. These findings emphasize the pressing need for conservation actions, including species reintroduction and strategic planning for both in situ and ex situ conservation in viable habitats.

Little is still known about the composition and distribution of vegetation in the Mediterranean region, especially urban flora, and vegetation. Until recently, regional -scale ecological and evolutionary patterns of urban areas have tended to be ignored, as conservation efforts have been concerned mostly with species and their habitats. A combination of social, ecological experiences and direct field observations were carried out to record the plant taxa that are found in the urban areas of Alexandria city. The present study represents the first work to explore a recently neglected urban flora. In this study, we identified plant taxa and life forms from a typical natural site with different anthropogenic activities to assess the status of the vegetation type. 338 plant species (including the inferaspecific taxa) were recorded in the study area, most of them were therophytes (50%), and about 19 % are cultivated for ornamentals purposes or as crops. Only three endemic taxa were recorded in the studied urban habitat: Anthemis microsperma, Sonchus macrocarpus,and Thesium humile var. maritima, while 91 (26.9%) alien taxa were recorded, out of which six were invasive, and seven were recorded for the first time in the present study, three of them are considered new record species: Nicotiana glutinosa L., Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. and Commelina erecta L.