Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
General characteristics of sampling sites in the study area_
| Site | Exposure | GPS coordinates | Slope (%) | Substrate | Anthropogenic activities | Dominant species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Al-Natour | South | 35° 2′32.60»N 1°37′39.54»O Al: 450 m | < 25 | calcareous | Overgrazing (sheep and goats), Logging, Opening of trails, Tourism, Medicinal plant collection, Deforestation. | Sclérophylles and thermophiles: Pistacia lentiscus L., Quercus Ilex L., Quercus coccifera L., Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) Mast., Cistus monspeliensis L., Calicotome intermedia (Salzm. ex C. Presl) Boiss. ex Rchb.f., Chamaerops humilis L., Ulex parviflorus Pourr., Ampelodesmos mauritanicus (Poir.) T. Durand & Schinz |
| 2. Ain El Kabira | Southeast | 35° 1′33.09»N 1°40′28.73»O Al: 740 m | 20 to 25 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Fires. | |
| 3. Karkoum Sidi Boumediene | South | 35° 0′32.02»N 1°40′43.39»O Al: 750 m | 03 to 10 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Fires. | |
| 4. Ouled Chaaban | North | 35° 0′58.99»N 1°42′0.75»O Al: 685 m | 10 to 15 | calcareous | Overgrazing (sheep and goats), Logging, Opening of trails, Tourism, Medicinal plant collection, Deforestation. | |
| 5. Peak of Fellaoucene | North | 35° 0′32.04»N 1°41′21.02»O Al: 1130 m | 03 to 15 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Logging, Opening of trails, Tourism, Medicinal plant collection, Fires, Deforestation | |
| 6. El Hyadra | North | 35° 0′49.54»N 1°41′2.81»O Al: 930 m | 05 to 15 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Logging, Opening of trails, Tourism, Medicinal plant collection, Fires, Deforestation | |
| 7. Ras Al-Taher | Northwest, Southeast | 35° 0′27.04»N 1°38′18.96»O Al: 500 m | 10 to 20 | calcareous | Overgrazing (sheep and goats), Logging, Opening of trails, Medicinal plant collection, Deforestation | |
| 8. Ain Manchar | South | 35° 0′0.81»N 1°41′30.89»O Al: 780 m | < 25 | siliceous | Overgrazing (cattle), Fires |
Results of soil microbial properties in the study area_
| SITE | Soil microbial analyses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basal respiration (μgC-CO2/h/g) | Bacterial biomass (μgC mic/g) | qCO2 (μgC-CO2/h/g) | |
| Al-Natour | 0.14 | 0.03 | 4.64 |
| Ain El Kabira | 0.38 | 0.08 | 4.91 |
| Karkoum S.B | 0.43 | 0.09 | 4.85 |
| Ouled Chaaban | 0.13 | 0.03 | 4.64 |
| S. Fellaoucene | 0.14 | 0.03 | 4.50 |
| El Hyadra | 0.14 | 0.03 | 4.56 |
| Ras Al-Taher | 0.13 | 0.02 | 4.64 |
| Ain Manchar | 0.42 | 0.09 | 4.86 |
Analysis results of soil chemical properties_
| SITE | Average of soil chemical properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H (%) | OM (%) | pH | CON (ms) | C (%) | CaCO3 (%) | |
| Al-Natour | 11.25 | 8.95 | 7.76 | 0.19 | 5.19 | 7.56 |
| Ain El Kabira | 14.78 | 9.07 | 7.67 | 0.16 | 5.26 | 1.26 |
| Karkoum S.B | 9.63 | 5.30 | 7.57 | 0.14 | 3.08 | 0.61 |
| Ouled Chaaban | 18.70 | 12.23 | 7.79 | 0.20 | 7.09 | 78.43 |
| S. Fellaoucene | 22.83 | 17.47 | 7.49 | 0.23 | 10.13 | 0.63 |
| El Hyadra | 23.24 | 7.40 | 7.59 | 0.27 | 4.30 | 2.93 |
| Ras Al-Taher | 14.99 | 10.45 | 7.77 | 0.19 | 6.07 | 37.49 |
| Ain Manchar | 11.69 | 7.02 | 7.61 | 0.15 | 4.08 | 1.00 |
Values of the PCA axis 2 of soil chemical and microbial properties_
| Positive side of axis 2 | Negative side of axis 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Value (+) | Variable | Value (–) |
| Moisture | 0.69 | ||
| CaCO3 (%) | 2.53 | Organic matter | 0.61 |
Value of axis 1 of the ACP of the chemical and microbial properties of the soils of each station_
| Positive side of axis 1 | Negative side of axis 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample | Value (+) | Sample | Value (−) |
| Spl.4f | 3.93 | Spl.2a | 3.37 |
| Spl.5a | 3.51 | Spl.3b | 4.10 |
| Spl.5f | 3.57 | Spl.3g | 3.47 |
| Spl.5j | 3.60 | Spl.8a | 3.46 |
Values of the PCA axis 1 of soil chemical and microbial properties_
| Positive side of axis 1 | Negative side of axis 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Value (+) | Variable | Value (–) |
| Moisture | 4.48 | Basal respiration | 3.53 |
| Organic matter | 2.82 | Microbial biomass | 3.49 |
| Conductivity | 3.61 | ||
Value of Axis 2 of the ACP of the chemical and microbial properties of the soils of each station_
| Positive side of axis 2 | Negative side of axis 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Samples | Value (+) | Samples | Value (−) |
| Spl.1c | 2.30 | Spl.5f | 2.28 |
| Spl.4f | 3.08 | Spl.5i | 3.07 |
| Spl.6d | 2.25 | Spl.5j | 2.77 |