Intertidal Microhabitat Preferences of Cerithiidae in Selected Areas of Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental, Philippines
Paper Details
Intertidal Microhabitat Preferences of Cerithiidae in Selected Areas of Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental, Philippines
Abstract
Various studies have been concerned with intertidal zones in determining the ecological interaction that produce the diverse groupings of plants and animals. This study was conducted to ascertain microhabitat preferences of Cerithiid species in intertidal areas of Bucana Sicayab and Aliguay Island in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte and in Punta Sulong, Baliangao, Misamis Occidental. Microhabitats and abundance of Cerithiid snails were surveyed using the belt-transect method. Specimens encountered in different microhabitats were collected through hand-picking or hand-digging the substratum. Eight microhabitat types were observed and classified as bedrocks, macroalgae (brown, green and red), muddy sand, reef flats, seagrass beds and tidepools. A total of 14 species of Cerithiids under three genera (Cerithium, Clypeomorus and Psuedovertagus) were identified. Kruskal Wallis test revealed that there is a significant difference in the abundance of Cerithiid species among microhabitat types (p<0.05). Using Cramer’s contingency coefficient test, the microhabitat preference of Cerithiids was determined. Cerithium columna had high preference on flatreefs and tidepool, while Cerithium coralium on muddy sand and Cerithium nodulosum on red algae. High proportion of Clypeomorus bifasciata bifasciata was observed on bedrocks, though it was also numerous in tidepools and muddy sand. Clypeomorus pellucida was more likely to be found on bedrocks and seagrass. Pseudovertagus aluco was observed to be common on seagrass, while Pseudovertagus nobilis on reef flats. In conclusion, Cerithiid species were less numerous in red, brown and green algae, while more numerous in rocks and tidepools to avoid high temperature and desiccation.
Ayal Y, Safriel UN. 1982. Role of Competition and Predation in Determining Habitat Occupancy of Cerithiidae (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) on the Rocky, Intertidal, Red Sea Coasts of Sinai. Marine Biology 70, 305-316. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396849
Batomalaque G, Arce BG, Hernandez MB, Fontanilla IK. 2010. Survey and Spatial Distribution of Shoreline Malacofauna in Grande Island, Subic Bay. Philippine Journal of Science 139(2), 149-159.
Bouchet P, Gofas S, Rosenberg G. 2013. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved from http://www.marinespecies.org/
Castro P, Huber ME. 2008. Marine Biology 7th edition. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Cernohorsky WO. 1972. The Taxonomy of Some Indo – Pacific Mollusca with descriptions of New Species. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum 9, 195-204.
Connor DW, Allen JH, Golding N, Howell KL, Lieberknecht LM, Northen KO, Reker JB. 2004. The marine habitat classification for Britain and Ireland. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough, p 934.
Esqueda M C, Ríos-Jara E, Michel-Morfín JE, Landa-Jaime V. 2000. The vertical distribution and abundance of gastropods and bivalves from rocky beaches of Cuastecomate Bay, Jalisco. México. Revista de Biologia Tropical 48(4), 765-775.
Goodman LA, Kruskal WH. 1972. Measures for association for cross classification IV. Journal of the American Statistical Association 49, 732-764. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1972.10482401
Hiscock K. 1990. Marine Nature Conservation Review: Methods. Marine Nature Conservation Review Report, p 5.
Houbrick RS. 1973. Cerithium Bruguiere, 1789 (Gastropoda): Proposed Preservation by Designation of a Type-Species under the Plenary Powers. Z.N. (S.) 2032. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 30(2), 104-107.
Houbrick RS. 1974. Growth Studies on the Genus Cerithium (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) with Notes on Ecology and Microhabitats. The Nautilus 88(l), 14-27.
Houbrick RS. 1978. The family Cerithiidae in the Indo-Pacific. The genera Rhinoclavis, Pseudovertagus and Clavocerithium. Monographs of Marine Mollusca 1, 1-30.
Houbrick RS. 1980. Review of the Deep- Sea Genus Argyropeza (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Cerithiidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology.
Houbrick RS. 1985. Genus Clypeomorus Jousseaume(Cerithiidae: Prosobranchia). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 403, 1-131.
Houbrick, RS. 1988. Cerithioidean phylogeny. Malacological Review Supplement 4, 88–128.
Houbrick RS. 1992. Monograph of the genus Cerithium Bruguiere in the Indo-Pacific (Cerithiidae: Prosobranchia).Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology.
Kay EA. 1979. Hawaiian Marine Shells: Reef and Shore Fauna of Hawaii, Section 4: Molusca. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Special Publication, p 653.
Kennedy J. 2013. Marine Life – Microhabitat Profiles. Retrieved from http://marinelife.about.com/
Maes VO. 1967. The Littoral Marine Mollusks of Cocos-Keeling Islands (Indian Ocean). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 119(4), 93-217.
McLusky DS. 1993. Marine and estuarine gradients – an overview. Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology 27(2-4), 489-493. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02334809
Plaziat JC. 1977. Les cerithides tropicaux et leur polymorphisme lie a I’etologie littorale des mangroves. Malacologia 16(l), 35-44.
Poppe GT. 2008a. Philippine marine mollusks: I. (Gastropoda – Part I). ConchBooks: Hackenheim. ISBN 978-3939767084.
Poppe GT. 2008b. Philippine marine mollusks: II. (Gastropoda – Part 2). ConchBooks: Hackenheim. ISBN 978-3-939767-17-6.
Poppe GT. 2010. Philippine marine mollusks: III. (Gastropoda Part 3 & Bivalvia Part 1). ConchBooks: Hackenheim. ISBN 978-3-939767-18-3.
Rehder HA. 1980. The Marine Mollusks of Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Sala y Gomez. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, p 167.
Rao YP, Rao DGP. 1984. Effect of Body Size on the Respiration of Cerithidea (Cerithideopsilla) cingulate (Gmelin, 1790) and Cerithium coralium Kiener, 1841. Journal Molluscan Studies 50(2), 92. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.mollus.a065856
Tago RM. 2013. Habitat preferences of the Philippines Hanging-Parakeet (Loriculus philippensis) in Mt. Timpoong, Camiguin Sur, Northern Mindanao. Unpublished Undergraduate thesis. Department of Biological Sciences. Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute Technology, Iligan City, Philippines.
Vallejo B. 2003. Biogeography of coral reef shore gastropods in the Philippines. Doctoral Dissertation. James Cook University.
Vohra FC. 1971. Zonation on a Tropical Sandy Shore. Journal of Animal Ecology 40, 679-708. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3445
Saliha P. Mamaroba, Carlo Stephen O. Moneva, 2020. Intertidal Microhabitat Preferences of Cerithiidae in Selected Areas of Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental, Philippines. Int. J. Biosci., 16(3), 157-166.
Copyright © 2020 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.