The distribution of macroalgae in the Aceh north-western coastline

Abstract

Abstract Macroalgae are polyphyletic multicellular plants that generally inhabit the littoral zone of the seashore. Aceh Province has a coastline stretching along the east, north and west ends of Sumatra Island; thus, various macroalga species may be found. This research aims to study the distribution of macroalga species at four locations on the north-western side of Aceh, including three sites in Aceh Besar District (Lhoknga, Lange, and Ujung Pancu Beaches) and one site in Banda Aceh City (Ulee Lheue Beach). Sampling was done across 50 meters of the seashore and 1 meter towards the sea. The sampling was conducted using a 1×1 meter quadrant transect method with sampling points every 10 meters. The morphology determination shows that five species of macroalga grew at Lhoknga Beach, namely Valoniopsis pachynema, Halimeda opuntia, Turbinaria decurrens, Sargassum plagiophyllum, and Padina australis. Lange Beach had three macroalgae species: Chaetomorpha linum, Laurencia obtusa, and Sargassum plagiophyllum. Meanwhile, Ujung Pancu Beach has four macroalga species: Halymenia durvillei, Turbinaria decurrens, Ulva lactuca and Sargassum plagiophyllum. At Ulee Lheue Beach, five species were found: Gracilaria edulis, Caulerpa taxifolia, Hypnea musciformis, Padina australis, and Acanthophora spicifera. In total, 13 macroalga species were distributed on Aceh’s north-western coast.