Species diversity of seagrass-associated bivalves as an ecological parameter to support seagrass conservation along with the Coastal Waters of South Lombok, Indonesia

Abstract

Seagrass has a role in supporting the survival of marine life, such as bivalves. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between bivalve species diversity as a parameter for seagrass conservation. The research approach was through observation and data collection for seagrass and bivalves using quadrant and transect methods—Analysis of the data through descriptive statistical analysis, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. The number of seagrass species in the six research sites was nine. Furthermore, the species composition of bivalves consisted of 11 families comprising 47 species. The ANOVA results showed a significant difference based on the F-count value, higher than the F-table value of the three ecological indices (H', E, and Ki). Two ecological indices, namely H' and Ki, have r values less than 0.5 for all environmental parameters (temperature, brightness, pH, salinity, DO, phosphate, and nitrate) and show no significant correlation. However, the E index value has an r value greater than 0.5 for nitrate, salinity DO, and phosphate. The highest significance value of the four environmental variables is for nitrate, with an r = 0.875. The conclusion is that the richness and abundance of seagrass-associated bivalves in the study area are predetermined by the characteristics of the seagrass environment, especially the substrate. Secondly, seagrasses could create a suitable substrate for bivalves to survive. Therefore, the indicator of the presence of associated Bivalvia species can be a parameter for local scale seagrass conservation at the study site.