Research Article Assembly of Optimum Habitats for Asian Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii) in the Arabian Peninsula: The Vegetation Aspects Naseraldeen Baqer Asadalla, 1 Mohammad Sulaiman Abido, 1 Asma Abahussain, 1 and Mohamed Shobrak 2 1 Desert and Arid Zones Sciences Programme, College of Graduate Studies, Arabian Gulf University, P.O. Box 26671, Manama, Bahrain 2 Biology Department, Science College, Taif University, P.O. Box 888, Taif, Saudi Arabia Correspondence should be addressed to Mohammad Sulaiman Abido; mohammedsaa@agu.edu.bh Received 11 April 2015; Accepted 11 June 2015 Academic Editor: Vassiliki Kati Copyright © 2015 Naseraldeen Baqer Asadalla et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Tis research was conducted in four sites at Mahazat as-Sayd reserve in Saudi Arabia to determine the optimum habitats’ constituents for Asian houbara bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii via assessing abiotic and biotic factors with special reference to vegetation aspects. Vegetative parameters were quantifed using combinations of distance and line intercept methods. Acquired data were analyzed using cluster analysis and analysis of variance tests. Results indicated that three of the four plant communities of the study sites were dominated by Acacia tortilis with underground cover composed of lesser species. On the other hand, White Jabal was dominated by scrubs composed mainly of Fagonia indica with sparse Acacia trees. Rumrumiyya site recorded the highest species abundance and vegetative coverage (133%) among the sites. It is concluded that Black Jabal and White Jabal sites are used as nesting and foraging habitats for houbaras, whereas Jabal Khurse is specifcally a males’ display site. Nevertheless, Rumrumiyya site was used for foraging and shelter. Te study confrmed that density and vegetation cover are of prime importance for houbara site selection. However, other factors afecting feeding and behavior of the species must be considered in further studies. 1. Introduction Rainfall and temperature are considered as overriding factors in determining vegetation distribution at macroscale level [1–3]. However, variations of rainfall and temperature that infuence vegetation are among the many factors afecting wildlife habitats [4, 5]. Yet, other site factors, including soil features, slope, and altitude, are of signifcant importance in determining vegetation attributes [6–11]. Meanwhile, veg- etation composition and structure are key elements in the wildlife selection “preference” of habitat [12, 13]. Te importance of vegetation composition and structure as key elements of houbara bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii) habitat cannot be overemphasized [13–16]. Vegetation com- position includes type, cover, associations, and species abun- dance. On the other hand, vegetation height, cover, closure, density, and structural and seral stages are vegetation compo- sition attributes. Overall, vegetation is a source of food, water and forms a shelter for wildlife species [17]. It is reported that sparse vegetation that is composed of patches of scrub and tall shrubs forms the “most preferred habitat for houbaras” [18–20]. Moreover, [21] stated that vegetation with 10–17% coverage is preferable habitats for the species at Harrat al- Harrah reserve, in northern Saudi Arabia. Along with this argument, a number of researchers believe that topography and anthropy are superseding factors in habitat selection of houbaras [22, 23]. Habitat analysis in terms of vegetation parameters along with its edaphic and physiographic features aids in better overview of its hosting potentiality to wildlife [14]. Such understanding enables wildlife managers to device proper techniques to insure ecological habitat viability for wildlife. Hindawi Publishing Corporation International Journal of Biodiversity Volume 2015, Article ID 925093, 6 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/925093