Abstract
This paper reported the recovery of desert plant communities after
twenty years of oil-derived hydrocarbon contamination in desert habitats
of Kuwait, caused by the First Gulf War (1990 – 1991). The hypothesis
that certain native desert plant species can tolerate weathered
oil-polluted soils with oil breakdown products (i.e., polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) and have the potential to function as
bioindicators and phytoremediator species for oil-polluted soil was
tested. A field survey of 200 quadrat sampling plots at seven
hydrocarbon-contaminated and unpolluted desert areas in Kuwait was
performed that recorded 42 plant species, with Haloxylon
salicornicum, Cyperus conglomeratus and Rhanterium
epapposum as the most dominant species. Analysis of plant tissues
indicated plant uptake and accumulation of some PAHs. H.
salicornicum was used as a representative species in a controlled field
study that included growth of plants in hydrocarbon-polluted and
unpolluted soils in two separate desert areas under similar growth
conditions. Results showed a significant decrease in plant biomass in
oil-contaminated soil compared to those from the uncontaminated site.
However, the plants appeared green and healthy in both sites, and showed
no overt stress. The results suggest that some desert plant communities
exhibit signs of recovery after severe oil pollution, and that H.
salicornicum may serve as a phytoremediator of oil-contaminated desert
soils. Our results also demonstrated that some desert plant communities
could be cultivated in oil fields to reduce hydrocarbon contamination
and provide guide to other ecosystem services through improving soil
quality and biodiversity.
Key words: Phytoremediation; Oil pollution; Desert vegetation;
Biodiversity; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons