Abstract
The mangrove forest in Brebes is one of the mangrove areas that were degraded due to abrasion and excessive logging in the North Coast of Java Island, Indonesia. This research aimed to analyze macrozoobenthos community structure in the mangrove forest that has not been documented. Surveys were carried out in the rainy season. In this study, a total of 10 sampling locations were divided into two different groups that represent “control” (station) and “disturbed” sites. The main structural parameters of the macrozoobenthos identified at each station were specific richness S (number of species), abundance N (number of individuals.m-2), the Shannon-Wiener index N1. A total of 346 specimens were counted from the two different stations (“control” and “disturbed”). These specimens were belonged to five animal classes, namely, Bivalvia, Gastropod, Malacostraca, Polychaeta, Cephalopoda. Pairwise comparison of the site groups with one-way analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) was not significant for between “control” and “disturbed” groups (p=0.062), where the average dissimilarity between the two stations was 88.42%. This result provides macrozoobenthos diversity and ecological information that may contribute to further conservation management in the mangrove forest in Brebes, Indonesia.
Highlights
Mangrove habitats play a significant role as a transition area, which link freshwater marshes to estuarine biomes (George, et al, 2009)
Basic information regarding the community structure of macrozoobenthos in mangrove habitats is highly important to understand the functional role of mangroves, which may influence the form of management and conservation decisions
We aim to provide the baseline information regarding the community structure of macrozoobenthos in the mangrove habitat in Pandansari region in the North Coast of Java Island
Summary
Mangrove habitats play a significant role as a transition area, which link freshwater marshes to estuarine biomes (George, et al, 2009). Conservation management of mangrove habitats is extremely important to protect the biota within, ecological functions and other socio-economic services (Aheto, 2011). Basic information regarding the community structure of macrozoobenthos in mangrove habitats is highly important to understand the functional role of mangroves, which may influence the form of management and conservation decisions. Such conservation practice is extremely important to overcome ongoing mangrove degradation both at local and global scales (Bosire et al, 2008). Deforestation of mangrove habitats has been seriously affecting the intensity of coastal erosion and largely affects the local communities that inhabit the coastal area. Information on the biodiversity of marine organisms including macrozobenthos from this region is still scarce
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