Methodology
A controlled field experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis
following two major approaches. First, we undertook a survey of plant
communities and soil conditions in oil-damaged desert habitats in
Kuwait. We utilized a multivariate classification approach that has been
successfully applied elsewhere in studies of desert plant ecology (e.g.,
Ali et al. 2000), to determine the vegetation present in relation to
quantified total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contents in desert soils.
Secondly, we conducted controlled experiments to evaluate the potential
to establish native plant species communities on oil-polluted soils, as
detailed below.