Diversity, Ecological Index, and Distribution Pattern of Seagrass in Coastal Waters of North Bali

Abstract

The coastal ecosystem that has high biological productivity is seagrass. Seagrass has ecological functions, namely as nursery, foraging, and spawning areas for organisms. Identification of seagrass species using the transect method in the waters of Penimbangan Beach, North Bali, was conducted in 2020, aiming to identify seagrass species and seagrass cover conditions in the coastal waters of Penimbangan, North Bali. The method used in this activity was the quadratic transect method, which consisted of a transect (straight line) and a quadratic frame (a rectangular frame placed on a line). The seagrass species found consisted of six species, which belonged to two families: the Hydrocharitales family with three species, namely Thalassia hemprichii, Halophila ovalis, and Halophila decipiens, and the Potamogetonaceae family with three species, namely Halodule uninervis, Cymodocea rotundata, and Syringodium isoetifolium. The density of seagrass varied but did not exceed 25 stands/m2, indicating very rare density of seagrass in these waters. Halodule uninervis species played an important role in seagrass communities in the waters of Penimbangan Beach with an Important Value Index of 89.36% at station I and 73.43% at station II. The novelty of this research is that there has not been any research on seagrass at the coast of Penimbangan, North Bali.