POLYCHAETOUS ANNELID COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN RELATION TO SOFT BOTTOM SEDIMENT CHARACTERISTICS IN CONTINENTAL SHELF OF THE SOUTHERN SOUTH CHINA SEA
Polychaetes are ubiquitous and dominant benthic fauna in the marine environment. Research on polychaete ecology has been done worldwide, however, in Malaysia, study on polychaete communities from soft bottom habitats in the continental shelf of the southern South China Sea has not been widely explored. Thus, this study embarks to determine the relationship between polychaete community structures with sediment parameters. The sampling was conducted in April and July 2011 at 43 sampling stations covered offshore areas of Pekan-Dungun, Kuala Terengganu and Kudat-Balambangan Island, southern South China Sea. Sediment sample for polychaete determination, Particle Size Analysis (PSA) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) were taken using Smith McIntyre grab (0.1 m2). Sediments for polychaetes were sieved through a set of wire mesh sieve (5.0, 3.0 and 0.5 mm), fixed with 10% buffered formalin and preserved in 70% ethanol prior to identification and counting. Sediment for TOC and PSA were undergo analysis in the laboratory. A total of 12,323 individuals of polychaetes was recorded and classified into 47 families. The mean total density of polychaetes at Kudat-Balambangan Island (663 ± 213 individual/m2) and Pekan-Dungun (603 ± 214 individual/m2) (p > 0.05) was significantly higher compared to offshore Kuala Terengganu (414 ± 162 individual/m2) (p < 0.05). Family Spionidae was dominant at all sampling areas. The mean value of diversity (4.1 to 5.6) differs significantly (p < 0.05) among areas. However, the evenness index (0.73 to 0.92) did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). High density of polychaetes was found at silty-clay, ollowed by silty-clay-loam and silt-loam sediment textures. This study concluded that the sediment characteristics are among significant factors contribute to the abundance of polychaete community structure in the soft bottom habitat of southern SCS.
Authors
Abstract
Polychaetes are ubiquitous and dominant benthic fauna in the marine environment. Research on polychaete ecology has been done worldwide, however, in Malaysia, study on polychaete communities from soft bottom habitats in the continental shelf of the southern South China Sea has not been widely explored. Thus, this study embarks to determine the relationship between polychaete community structures with sediment parameters. The sampling was conducted in April and July 2011 at 43 sampling stations covered offshore areas of Pekan-Dungun, Kuala Terengganu and Kudat-Balambangan Island, southern South China Sea. Sediment sample for polychaete determination, Particle Size Analysis (PSA) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) were taken using Smith McIntyre grab (0.1 m2). Sediments for polychaetes were sieved through a set of wire mesh sieve (5.0, 3.0 and 0.5 mm), fixed with 10% buffered formalin and preserved in 70% ethanol prior to identification and counting. Sediment for TOC and PSA were undergo analysis in the laboratory. A total of 12,323 individuals of polychaetes was recorded and classified into 47 families. The mean total density of polychaetes at Kudat-Balambangan Island (663 ± 213 individual/m2) and Pekan-Dungun (603 ± 214 individual/m2) (p > 0.05) was significantly higher compared to offshore Kuala Terengganu (414 ± 162 individual/m2) (p < 0.05). Family Spionidae was dominant at all sampling areas. The mean value of diversity (4.1 to 5.6) differs significantly (p < 0.05) among areas. However, the evenness index (0.73 to 0.92) did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). High density of polychaetes was found at silty-clay, ollowed by silty-clay-loam and silt-loam sediment textures. This study concluded that the sediment characteristics are among significant factors contribute to the abundance of polychaete community structure in the soft bottom habitat of southern SCS.
Citation
APA: viii. Rosli, N.S., Yahya, N., Idris, I. & Bachok, Z. (2018). Polychaetous Annelid Community Ecology in Relation to Soft Bottom Sediment Characteristics in Continental Shelf of Southern South China Sea. Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 15 (5): 125 – 146