Seagrass assessment along the vicinity of Bangaan Island Marine Sanctuary, Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay

Paper Details

Research Paper 11/03/2024
Views (348) Download (33)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Seagrass assessment along the vicinity of Bangaan Island Marine Sanctuary, Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay

Jay Ann T. Dagalea
J. Bio. Env. Sci.24( 3), 65-71, March 2024.
Certificate: JBES 2024 [Generate Certificate]

Abstract

Seagrass, despite the remarkable ecosystem services it offered were still in the grave threat due to lack of protection and climate change. Seagrasses located outside the vicinity of Bangaan Island Marine Sanctuary, were in subtidal zone where the water depth at low tide in most shallow is at 0.5 meters and a deepest is 2 meters. These serves as an ideal place for shell gleaning and tourist exploration due to patches of corals found in the area. This study was conducted to assess the seagrass along the vicinity of Bangaan Island Marine Sanctuary. Specifically, this was conducted to document the extent of seagrass area and to assess the diversity, distribution and abundance of seagrass species. Seagrass coverage for two sites was about 1.6 hectares (Site 1, 1 hectare and Site 2, 0.6 hectare). Using line intercept method a 1 meter x 1 meter quadrat was used in the study to determine seagrass cover percentage. There were 4 seagrasses species found in Site 1, and 5 seagrass species in Site 2. The overall average of seagrass cover in identified two sites in Bangaan Island is 11.5% (site 1 = 13%; site 2 = 10%). In terms of diversity index of seagrass species in quadrats 1 to 3, results shows that quadrat 3, located at the deepest station of the study area has the more diverse seagrass species for both site 1 and 2. However, diversity level of seagrass for quadrat 1, 2 and 3 were low for both site 1 and site 2. One way analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results show that there were no significant difference of seagrass percentage cover in increasing water depth in quadrats 1,2, and 3 for both Site 1 and Site 2. Moreover, the sparse distribution and low percent cover of seagrass along the vicinity of Bangaan Island Marine Sanctuary can be influence by natural factors (e.g., climate change, soil type and waves), or anthropogenic factors (e.g., tourism, resource utilization and waste disposal). Thus, seagrass restoration and management should be carried out in Bangaan Island.

VIEWS 99

Ambo-Rappe R. 2022. The success of seagrass restoration using Enhalus acoroides seeds is correlated with substrate and hydrodynamic conditions. Journal of Environmental Management 310, 114692.

Bach SS, Borum J, Fortes MD, Duarte CM. 1998. Species composition and plant performance of mixed seagrass beds along a siltation gradient at Cape Bolinao, The Philippines. Marine Ecology Progress Series 174, 247-256.

Fortes MD, Ooi JLS, Tan YM, Prathep A, Bujang JS, Yaakub SM. 2018. Seagrass in Southeast Asia: a review of status and knowledge gaps, and a road map for conservation. Botanica Marina 61(3), 269-288.

Fortes MD. 2013. A review: biodiversity, distribution and conservation of Philippine seagrasses. Philippine Journal of Science 142(1), 9.

Fortes MD, Santos KF. 2004. Seagrass ecosystem of the Philippines: status, problems and management directions. In turbulent Seas: the status of Philippine Marine Fisheries, 93.

Gillanders B. 2006. Seagrasses, fish and fisheries. Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology and Conservation 503-536.

Halim M, Bengen DG, Prartono T. 2020. Influence of turbidity and water depth on carbon storage in seagrasses, Enhalus acoroides and Halophila ovalis. Aquaculture, Aquarium, Conservation & Legislation 13(1), 309-317.

Halun Z, Terrados J, Borum J, Kamp-Nielsen L, Duarte CM, Fortes MD. 2002. Experimental evaluation of the effects of siltation-derived changes in sediment conditions on the Philippine seagrass Cymodocea rotundata. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 279(1-2), 73-87.

Livingston RJ, McGlynn SE, Niu X. 1998. Factors controlling seagrass growth in a gulf coastal system: Water and sediment quality and light. Aquatic Botany 60(2), 135-159.

Luan W, Li H, Zhang L, Liu J. 2023. Enhalus acoroides efficiently alleviate ocean acidification by shifting modes of inorganic carbon uptake and increasing photosynthesis when pH drops. Marine Environmental Research 186, 105896.

Macreadie PI, Jarvis J, TrevathanTackett SM, Bellgrove A. 2017. Seagrasses and macroalgae: importance, vulnerability and impacts. Climate change impacts on fisheries and aquaculture: a global analysis 2, 729-770.

Marine Protected Areas Support Network. 2020. 2009 Most Outstanding MPA Finalist. Bangaan Marine Sanctuary, (Unpublished).

McKenzie LJ. 2003. Guidelines for the rapid assessment and mapping of tropical seagrass habitats (QFS, NFC, Cairns). Seagrass Watch, 46p.

Murphy GE, Dunic JC, Adamczyk EM, Bittick SJ, Côté IM, Cristiani J, Wong MC. 2021. From coast to coast to coast: ecology and management of seagrass ecosystems across Canada. Facets 6(1), 139-179.

Ogawa H, Nanba N. 2002. Ecological characteristics of tropical seagrasses, especially Enhalus acoroides. Fisheries science 68(sup2), 1767-1770.

PhilAtlas. 2020. Tungawan. Province of Zamboanga Sibugay. Retrieved at: https://www.philatlas.com/mindanao/r09/zamboanga-sibugay/tungawan.html

Reynolds PL, Duffy E, Knowlton N. 2018. Seagrass and seagrass beds. Ocean Portal.

SamperVillarreal J, Lovelock CE, Saunders MI, Roelfsema C, Mumby PJ. 2016. Organic carbon in seagrass sediments is influenced by seagrass canopy complexity, turbidity, wave height, and water depth. Limnology and Oceanography 61(3), 938-952.

Stankovic M, Ambo-Rappe R, Carly F, Dangan-Galon F, Fortes MD, Hossain MS, Prathep A. 2021. Quantification of blue carbon in seagrass ecosystems of Southeast Asia and their potential for climate change mitigation. Science of the Total Environment 783, 146858.

Terrados J, Duarte CM, Fortes MD, Borum J, Agawin NSR, Bach S, Vermaat J. 1998. Changes in community structure and biomass of seagrass communities along gradients of siltation in SE Asia. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 46(5), 757-768.