The impact of seagrass bed ship anchoring on the meiobentos community structure in Podang-Podang Lompo Island, Pangkep, Indonesia
Rahima Rahman (1), Supriadi Mashoreng (2*), Shinta Werorilangi (2)

1). Master of Marine Science Study Program, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia
2) Marine Science Study Program, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia
* email : smashoreng[at]gmail.com

Abstract

The mooring activity using anchors not only damages the seagrass community but also affects the associated organisms, such as meiobenthos. Meiobenthos is a benthos measuring 0.1-1.0 mm., and is a connecting link in the flow of energy and matter from planktonic algae to high-level consumers. This research was conducted to determine the impact of ship anchoring on the meiobenthos community structure on Podang-Podang Lompo Island, Pangkep Regency, Indonesia. Sampling of meiobenthos was carried out in the area of former ship anchors and surrounding seagrass beds. It is assumed that before seagrass damage occurs due to ship anchors, seagrass conditions are the same as those around it. Sampling was carried out using a corer with a diameter of 2.5 cm and a length of 30 cm. The corer was pressed into the sediment and lifted, then separated into 3 parts, namely 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm. Each layer was filtered using a sieve net each with a mesh size of 0.1 mm and 1.0 mm to obtain meiobenthos. Samples were preserved in 70% formalin which had been added with rose bengal. The results showed that there were 10 meiobenthos species dominated by foraminifera, followed by arthropods and annelids. In the small moored area, there is no difference in the abundance of meiobenthos and meiobenthos in the surrounding seagrass, but in the large moored area, there is a difference between the both.

Keywords: meiobenthos, seagrass bed, ship anchoring, Podang-Podang Lompo Island, Pangkep

Topic: Aquatic Ecology and Conservation