Preparation Model On Indirect Effect Of Water Quality To Coral Fish Parasites In Bidong Island Using Structural Equation Modelling Technique
Hairul Hafiz Mahsol (a*,b), Mazlan Abd Ghaffar (a), Rafidah Othman (c) & Marina Hassan (a)

a. Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.
*gsk2018[at]pps.umt.edu.my
b. Conservation Biology Program, Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
c. Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Abstract

In Bidong Island, a study of parasitic infection among coral fishes such as Amphiprion ocellaris, Amphiprion perideraion, Dascyllus trimaculatus (Teleostei-Pomacentridae), and Chaetodon octofasciatus (Teleostei-Chaetodontidae) was carried out to determine the prevalence and risk of parasitic infection. As the overall prevalence of this infestation was more than 40% we suspect there might be interrelationships between the host (coral fish), their pathogens (parasite) and environmental factors (water quality). Several evidence also showed there were direct effect of each factor such as the coral fish and water quality to the parasite infestation. The main idea in this paper is to design the conceptual model by showing the indirect effect of water quality on coral fish parasites through the host using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique. Based on this holism concept, a further and broader research needs to be conducted to deeply observe on how each factor of host and water quality can decrease the infestation level.

Keywords: Structural Equation Modelling- Parasite- Coral fish- Bidong Island

Topic: Aquatic Ecology and Conservation