By Sendy Lely Merly, Alfonsia Lusi Nini
This study pursued two primary objectives: firstly, to ascertain the diversity index, evenness, richness, and dominance of gastropod species within the mangrove ecosystem, alongside evaluating the mangroves' important value index within said ecosystem; and secondly, to elucidate the association between gastropods and mangroves in the context of the Payum Beach, Merauke Regency. The research was conducted during September to October 2021, employing transect methodology with transects measuring 100 meters in length. The research site was bifurcated into two stations, delineated by variations in the mangrove ecosystem, to explore associated mollusk species.
A total of eight gastropod species were analyzed, namely: Terebralia palustris, Terebralia semistriata, Telescopium telescopium, Cassidula angulifera, Cerithidea obtusa, Littoraria intermedia, Littoraria pallencens, and Littoraria scabra. The diversity index (H’) of gastropods was calculated as 1.9370, indicating a moderate level of diversity, while the richness index (R) stood at 0.86 and dominance (C) at 0.16, both characterized as low. Conversely, the evenness index (E) displayed a value of 0.93, signifying high evenness and thus indicating a stable community.
Moreover, three species of mangroves were identified, namely Bruguirea cylindrica, Lumnitzera racemosa, and Aegialitis annulata. Nevertheless, the correlation between the abundance of gastropod individuals and the presence of mangroves at both research stations (I and II) tended to exhibit weak associations.
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