Determining seagrassess community structure using the Braun – Blanquet technique in the intertidal zones of Islas de Gigantes, Philippines
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Published:
Apr 30, 2020
Keywords:
Abundance, Braun – Blanquet technique, Islas de Gigantes, Percent cover, Seagrass
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Abstract
The seagrass ecosystem which is considered the most productive ecosystem occurs in tropical and subtropical shallow marine waters where it supports diverse flora and fauna. Seagrasses of Islas de Gigantes, Carles, Iloilo were assessed to determine species diversity, abundance, canopy height and percentage cover. Braun – Blanquet technique was used where 3 transects were laid in each station in three barangays of Islas de Gigantes, namely: Barangay Asluman, Barangay Granada and Barangay Gabi. A total of 7 species were found, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea rotundata, Cymodocea serrulata, Halodule pinifolia, Halodule uninervis, Enhalus acoroides and Syringodium isoetifolium. Using the Shannon Diversity Index, the seagrass bed in Gabi was the most diverse with a value of 2.8. Sorenson's coefficient (CC) was used to compute the species similarity attributes indicating that the three communities have many similarities to each other in terms of species diversity and environmental parameters that affect seagrass ecosystems. Syringodium isoetifolium had recorded the highest number of shoots (475 shoots/m2) in Granada. The percentage cover of seagrasses varied across the sampling sites ranging from 55% - 67.50%, with a mean value of 62.50%. However, E. acoroides had the tallest canopy height recorded that ranged from 12.33 – 24.83 cm.
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Clarito, Q. Y., Suerte, N. O., Bontia, E. C., & Clarito, I. M. (2020). Determining seagrassess community structure using the Braun – Blanquet technique in the intertidal zones of Islas de Gigantes, Philippines. Sustinere: Journal of Environment and Sustainability, 4(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.22515/sustinere.jes.v4i1.96
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References
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Short, F. T. Carruthers, W. Dannison, and M. Waycott. (2007). Global seagrass distribution and diversity: A bioregional model. J. Exp. Mar. Bio. Ecol., vol. 350, no. 1, pp. 3–20.
Southeast Environmental Research Center - Florida International University (SERC-FIU). (2020) Braun-Blanquet Survey Methods. Available at serc.fiu.edu/seagrass. Accessed Date: 28 January, 2020.
Thorhaug, A. (1986). Review of seagrass restoration. Ambio 15 (2): 110-117.
Walker, D., and A.J. McComb. (1992). Seagrass degradation in Australian coastal waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 25: 191-195.
Waycott, M., Duarte, C.M., Carruthers, T.J.M., Orth, R.J., Denisson, W.C., Olyarnik, S., Calladine, A., Fourqurean, J.W., Heck, K.L.Jr., Randall-Hughes, A., Kendrick, G.A., Judson-Kenworthy, W., Short, F.T., and S.L. Williams. (2009). Accelerating loss of seagrasses across the globe threatens coastal ecosystems. Ecology. 1-5.
Al Jamali Environmental Consultancy (AJEC). 2014. Seagrass monitoring report: Campaign 1. New Port Project, Doha, Qatar. 34 pp. Unpublished.
Alimen, R..A., Selorio, C.M. Jr., Ong, H.G., Batuigas, R.D., Corpes, V.O., Esmaña, M.M.G., and C.D. Ortizo. (2010). Seagrass diversity in the Western and Eastern sites of Igang Bay, Guimaras, Philippines. 11 pp.
Ame, E. and J. Ayson. 2009. Preliminary assessment of the seagrass resources in the northern Philippines. Kuroshio Science, 2009, 3 (1), 55-61.
Andre, J., Gyuris, E., and I. Lawler. (2005). Comparison of the diets of sympatric dugong and green sea turtles on the Orman Reef, Torres Strait, Australia. Wildl Res 32: 53-62.
Braun-Blanquet, J. (1965). Plant sociology: The study of plant communities. Hafner Publications, London. 439p.
Campos, W.L., Regalado, J.M., Malignin, M.A.C.L., Pepino, M.M.C., Felix, L.R., Burgos, L.A., and E.A. Abian. (2012). Survey of coral reefs and seagrass beds of Granada, Gigante Norte and Lantangan, Gigantes Sur. (2012). Terminal Report: Biodiversity conservation framework development & strategic planning for Gigantes Islands, Carles, Iloilo. Annex 2:23 – 31. Unpublished.
Duarte, C.M. (1991). Allometric scaling of seagrass form and productivity. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 77: 2899-3000.
Fortes, M.D. (1990). Seagrasses: A resource unknown in the ASEAN region. Association of Southeast Asian Nations/United States Coastal Resources Management Project. 1990; Education Series 6, 46 p.
Fortes MD. 2004. Wetland Conservation and Management in the Philippines: Where are we now? The Case of Seagrass and Mangroves. In: MH Wong (ed.), Developments in Ecosystems, vol 1, Chapter 14. Elsevier Science.
Fortes, M.D. (2008). Ecological changes in seagrass ecosystems in Southeast Asia, pp.131-136 In: N. Mimura (ed.), States of Environments and Their Management, Chapter 3. Springer.
Fortes, M.D. (2012). Historical review of seagrass research in the Philippines Section II. Historical review of coastal research in Southeast Asia. Proceedings of the Horiba International Conference. Coastal Marine Science 35(1): 178-181.
Fortes MD. (2013). A Review: biodiversity, distribution and conservation of Philippine seagrasses. Philippine Journal of Science 142: 95-111.
Hartog, C. D. and J. Kuo. (2006). Taxonomy and biogeography of seagrasses. pp. 1-23. In: A.W.D Larkum, R.J. Orth, C.M. Duarte (eds.), Seagrasses: biology, ecology and conservation. Springer.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - Red List. 2019. Syringodium isoetifolium. Available at https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/173332/6992969. Accessed Date: 26 December, 2019.
Kenworthy, W.J., Durako, M.J., Fatemy, S.M.R., Valavi, H., and G.W. Thayer. (1993). Ecology of seagrasses in northeastern Saudi Arabia one year after the Gulf War oil spill. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 27: 213-222.
Lan, C.Y., Kao, W.Y., Lin, H.J., Shao, K.T. (2005). Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence reveals mechanisms of habitat niche separation of the intertidal seagrasses Thalassia hemprichii and Halodule uninervis. Mar. Biol. 148, 25–34.
McCloskey, R.M. and Richard K.F. Unsworth, R.K.F. (2015). Decreasing seagrass density negatively influences associated fauna. PeerJ. 3: e1053. Published online 2015 Jun 23. doi: 10.7717/peerj.1053
McKenzie LJ, Yoshida RL, Coles RG. 2006-2010. Seagrass-Watch. Available at http: www. seagrasswatch.org. Accessed Date: 28 January, 2020.
McManus, J.W., Nanola, C., Reyes, R., and K. Kesner. (1992). Resource ecology of the Bolinao coral reef system. ICLARM Studies and Reviews 22. 117 p.
Salita, J.T., Ekau, W., and U. Saint Paul. (2003). Field evidence on the influence of seagrass landscapes on fish abundance in Bolinao, Northern Philippines. Mar. Ecol. Prog Ser. 247: 183-195.
Seagrass-Watch. (2020). Available at www.seagrasswatch.org. Accessed Date: 27 January, 2020.
Sigua, G.C., Paz-Alberto, A.M. and Pakaigue-Hechanova, M. (2015). Assessing diversity and phytoremediation potential of seagrass in tropical region. International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences. Volume-5, Issue-4. 13 pp.
Short, F.T., Polidoro, B., Livingstone, S.R., Carpenter, K.E., Bandeira, S., Bujang, J.S., Calumpong, H.P., Carruthers, T.J.B., Coles, R.G., Dennison, W.C., Erftemeijer, P.L.A., Fortes, M.D., Freeman, A.S., Jagtap, T.G., Kamal, A.M., Kendrick, G.A., Kenworthy, W.J., La Nafie, Y.A., Nasution, I.M., Orth, R.J., Prathep, A., Sanciangco, J.C., van Tussenbroek, B., Vergara, S.G., Waycott, M. and Zieman, J.C. (2011). Extinction risk assessment of the world’s seagrass species. Biological Conservation 144: 1961-1971.
Short, F. T. Carruthers, W. Dannison, and M. Waycott. (2007). Global seagrass distribution and diversity: A bioregional model. J. Exp. Mar. Bio. Ecol., vol. 350, no. 1, pp. 3–20.
Southeast Environmental Research Center - Florida International University (SERC-FIU). (2020) Braun-Blanquet Survey Methods. Available at serc.fiu.edu/seagrass. Accessed Date: 28 January, 2020.
Thorhaug, A. (1986). Review of seagrass restoration. Ambio 15 (2): 110-117.
Walker, D., and A.J. McComb. (1992). Seagrass degradation in Australian coastal waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 25: 191-195.
Waycott, M., Duarte, C.M., Carruthers, T.J.M., Orth, R.J., Denisson, W.C., Olyarnik, S., Calladine, A., Fourqurean, J.W., Heck, K.L.Jr., Randall-Hughes, A., Kendrick, G.A., Judson-Kenworthy, W., Short, F.T., and S.L. Williams. (2009). Accelerating loss of seagrasses across the globe threatens coastal ecosystems. Ecology. 1-5.