Assessment of Benthic Macrofauna and Sediment Characteristics of Boracay Island, Philippines
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11046358Keywords:
Benthic macrofauna, Abundance, Distribution, DiversityAbstract
Boracay island is a world-famous beach located in the Philippines. Its beaches are economically important due to its unique “white sand” characteristics popular for swimming and other recreational activities. Studies on macrobenthic organisms present in the area that are ecologically important and may play part in its unique sand, however, are still lacking. This study assessed the diversity, abundance, and distribution of the benthic macrofauna and the characteristics of the sediments in Stations 1, 2, and 3 of Boracay Island. Tide lines from various times of the day: high tide – morning (HTM), low tide (LT), high tide – evening (HTE); and at 0.5m water depth at high tide morning (0.5) was assessed. Overall, there are 474 individuals belonging to 5 classes, 10 families, and 10 genera collected from the three stations. The major taxa groups found are Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Malacostraca, Polychaeta, and Sipuncula. Donax sp. (wedge shell) was the most dominant species in the study area with 266 total individual counts. Among the three stations, Station 1 is the most diverse (H = 1.21) while Station 2 has the most abundant macrofaunal presence (relative abundance = 82.07%). In terms of area, HTE is the most diverse and abundant (H = 0.22; relative abundance = 60.97%). Most of the species found are known to be highly tolerant to a variety of conditions making it easier for them to adapt with less ideal conditions. The Armandia sp., found dominant in the area, is highly sensitive to marine pollution, making it an excellent indicator for future monitoring of Boracay Island.
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