Abstract
In arid and Saharan zones, drought and human activities accentuate the risk of degradation of pre-desert rangelands. Some plants disappear, while others persist and adapt. In this study, we aimed to list the plants that can grow in a sandy environment and investigate their distribution levels and effect on sand dunes. We conducted vegetation inventories in Laghouat province in Algeria, and we calculated the ecological parameters using the transect method. The height of fixed windblown deposits was measured under all inventoried plants. Under three perennial plants (Retama raetam, Aristida pungens, and Astragalus armatus), soil texture, and physical and microbiological characteristics were analyzed. We found that the area studied is species-poor but has certain diversity, so the plant biological type influenced sand fixation. Fixed Aeolian deposits stabilized by plants ranged in height from 28 to 63 cm. Micro-dunes stabilized by R. raetam exhibited higher nitrogen, carbon, and bacterial richness compared to those stabilized by A. pungens. In contrast, A. pungens micro-dunes had greater calcium carbonate, electrical conductivity, and fungal richness. Our findings highlight the distinct contributions of each species to soil rehabilitation. Moreover, the complementary effects of these plants suggest their potential for synergistic wind erosion control.