Muhammad A. Asadi, Feni Iranawati, Ajeng W. Andini
Bivalves provide a range of ecosystem services such as turbidity reduction, denitrification induction, and habitat complexity provision. This study aimed to assess the diversity and the community structure of bivalves in the intertidal areas of Gili Ketapang Island, East Java, Indonesia, as well as analyze the environmental parameters that might influence their biological community. Three (15-m long) transects with five 1×1-m quadrant plots in each transect line of each research station were established seawards perpendicular to the coast line. The bivalves were composed of 5 families, 8 genera and 10 species of which Gafrarium tumidum had the highest density and distribution. On average, the Shannon’s diversity index (H’) and the Simpson dominance index (D) were moderate with the values of 1.12 and 3.13 respectively. The Evenness Index (J’) was high with value of 0.90, which indicated that the bivalve communities possessed ecological stability. Moreover, physico-chemical parameters of water and sediment were still in the range of the tolerant level to sustain bivalves life. ©, 2018, BIOFLUX SRL. All rights reserved.
Marine Science Department, Brawijaya University, Jl. Veteran no. 16, Malang, 65144, Indonesia
