Diversity of Macroinvertebrates in the Mangrove Forest of Brgy. Nabago, Surigao City, Philippines

Abstract

Macroinvertebrate assemblages in the mangrove forest were assessed to determine the baseline information on the marine ecosystem in Barangay Nabago. Physicochemical parameters of soil and water were also determined to correlate with these bio-indicators. Three sampling stations were established. Live specimens were collected from natural substrates such as rocks, leaves, wood, and other debris through hand picking. To obtain macrobenthos, soil samples were collected using a core method with six-core samples from each plot. A 500 micrometer (0.5 mm) mesh size sieve was used to separate the macroinvertebrates from the sediments and any debris. A multiparameter checker determined the physicochemical parameters of water such as dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, total dissolved solids, and conductivity. Biodiversity indices such as species richness, abundance, density, Shannon-Weiner diversity index, and evenness were calculated using the Paleontological Statistical Software Package (PAST) version 3.20 with correlation analysis using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Station 3 obtained the highest frequency count of macroinvertebrates compared to the first (1) and second (2) stations, which correlate to the highest numerical value of the physicochemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, and pH. These physicochemical parameters were favourable for macroinvertebrate species to thrive. Soil characterized with the highest percentage of the sandy substrate also contributed to macroinvertebrates’ diversity, particularly in station 3, which obtained the highest diversity index (H’=2.436).