Undergraduate Special Problem
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Item Rock-associated Cryptofauna in Seagrass Beds in Taklong Island National Marine Reserve, Guimaras, PhilippinesCamache, Christian M. (Division of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2015-06)It has been suggested that cryptofauna makes up the bulk of marine ecosystems. Little is known of the ecology of cryptofauna and the few studies conducted about them stress their importance in the ecology of marine systems. This study was conducted to assess the biodiversity of rock-associated cryptofauna in seagrass beds in the Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (TINMR) and to correlate their abundance and diversity to the rugosity of the substrate. Rock samples were collected from three seagrass beds, namely: Calaparan, Kalirohan, and Bagatnan. The cryptofauna inhabiting the rock samples were extracted using forceps and were then sorted into major taxonomic groups and identified. The density of each taxonomic group, the diversity and similarity indices of and among sites, and the rugosity and volume of the rock samples were calculated. A total of 2,255 individuals were collected belonging to 97 OTUs and eight major taxonomic groups, with a mean density of 1.13±0.51 indiv/mL. Foraminiferans and crustaceans were the most prominent organisms observed in all sites while polychaetes showed significant density variations. Cryptic fauna diversity was low in all sites. Kalirohan had the highest diversity index (H’ = 0.86 ± 0.119) while Calaparan had the lowest (H’ = 0.67 ± 0.125). All sites showed low similarity coefficients with Kalirohan and Bagatnan showing the highest value (31% similarity). No significant correlation was found between the rugosity of rock substrates and density of cryptofauna contrary to expected trend. This suggests that rugosity may not be a key determinant of cryptofaunal abundance and diversity in rock substrates in these seagrass beds.Item Zooplankton composition, abundance and diversity in selected Municipalities of Negros Occidental and AklanAusan, Aisa Marie U. (Division of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2015-06)Zooplankton samples were collected last May and June 2014 from 20 stations in the vicinity of Kalibo, Aklan and Pontevedra, San Enrique, and Valladolid, Negros Occidental. Three hundred fifty-three (353) liters of water were filtered per station thru a 5m vertical haul of plankton net with a diameter of 30cm and a mesh size of 20μm. Overall zooplankton densities were higher in Negros Occidental, specifically in Valladolid (D=1915.3 cells/L), than in Kalibo, Aklan (D=7.2 cells/L). On the other hand, zooplankton community was most diverse in Kalibo (H’ = 2.6) compared to Valladolid (H’=1.3), San Enrique (H’=2.1) and Pontevedra (H’=1.8). Jaccard’s similarity index was highest between Pontevedra and San Enrique while lowest between Valladolid and Kalibo. In Kalibo there were four major groups of zooplankton. Most dense of these were the tintinnids (3.9 cells/L) followed by copepods (2.5 cells/L), molluscs (7xlOE-lcells/L) and polychaetes (IxlOE-lcell/L). Among the copepods Subeucalanus was the most abundant zooplankton genus. In Pontevedra and San Enrique, Negros Occidental, copepods were the most abundant group with a mean density of 205.3 cells/L and 312.1 cells/L, respectively. The relative abundance ofAcartia (36.5%) and Longipedia (22.6%) made them the dominant zooplankton genera in Pontevedra and San Enrique, respectively. Like in Kalibo, the tintinnids were also the most abundant group in Valladolid (1879.2 cells/L). Copepods followed with a mean density of 35.7 cells/L, while Polychaetes comprised only 4xlOE-l cells/L. Epiplocylis was the most abundant tintinnid in Valladolid while Xystonella in Kalibo. Varying sampling time within months and day is the possible cause of the differences in zooplankton abundance, composition, and diversity since some zooplankton species undergo diel vertical migration.Item Echinoid and Ophiuroid species in Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (TINMR), GuimarasAlmira, Eugenie Marie A. (Division of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, 2015-06)Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (TINMR) in Guimaras is one of the Philippines’ marine protected sites established to ensure continuity and productivity of marine organisms such as echinoderms. The study aims to determine the community structure of echinoid and ophiuroid species in selected shallow coastal sites around Taklong Island within TINMR. Sampling was done twice (June 2014 and Jan 2015) using belt transect method for echinoid species in three selected sites and random quadrat method for ophiuroid species in two sites. A total of twelve (12) echinoid and six (6) ophiuroid species were recorded. The most numerous echinoid and ophiuroid were Echinotrix calamaris and Ophiocoma erinaceus, respectively. The diversity of echinoids (H’= 0.37-0.95) and ophiuroids (H’= 0.53-1.40) in Taklong Island was relatively low. Presence and abundances of many echinoids and ophiuroids in a site varied with sampling time. Variation may be due to differences in substrate characteristics such as sea grass cover and coral cover as well as environmental factors.
