Abstract
From the Indian coast only limited data are available on the benthic fauna of the seagrass communities. In this study, seasonal variation in the distribution of macrobenthos and influence of environmental parameters was explored at four seagrass beds and two mangrove stations along the Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep, India, from September 1999 to August 2001. A total of 160 macrobenthic species from eight major groups represented the macrofauna of the Minicoy Island. Of the identified taxa, molluscs 70 (gastropods 41.46%, bivalves 7.5%), polychaetes 27 (16.88%), crustaceans 30 (18.75%), echinoderms 11 (6.88%) and remaining others. Average seasonal abundance of benthic macrofauna ranged from 219 to 711 ind./m2, species diversity varied from 1.45 to 3.64 bits per individual, species richness index ranged from 4.01 to 26.17, evenness 0.69 to 1.66. In general, the higher abundance and species diversity was noticed in southern seagrass stations and northern seagrass stations, but in the mangrove stations comparatively low species diversity was observed. Three-way analysis of variance indicated that all communities resulted as being significantly different between seagrass and mangrove station, mainly when the seasonal interaction was considered. Multivariate analyses were employed to help define benthic characteristic and the relationship between environmental parameters at the six monitoring stations. Results of cluster analyses and multidimensional scale plot suggest that for mangrove region, different physiographic provinces, lower salinity, dissolved oxygen and sediment biotic structure have a higher influence on the species composition and diversity than other oceanographic conditions.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Alongi D M. 1990. The ecology of tropical soft bottom benthic ecosystems. Ocean Mar Bio Ann Rev, 28: 381–496
Ansari Z A. 1984. Benthic macro and meio fauna of Seagrass (Thalassia hemprichii) bed at Minicoy, Lakshadweep. Ind J Mar Sci, 13(3): 126–127
Ansari Z A, Ramani P, Rivonker C U, et al. 1990. Macro and meio faunal abundance in six sandy beaches of Lakshadweep Islands. Ind J Mar Sci, 19: 159–164
Ansari Z A, Rivonker C U, Ramani P, et al. 1991. Seagrass habitat complexity and macroinvertebrate abundance in Lakshadweep coral reef regions, Arabian Sea. Coral Reefs, 10(3): 127–131
Bergen M, Weisberg S B, Smith R W, et al. 2000. Relationship between depth, sediment, latitude, and the structure of benthic infaunal assemblages on the mainland shelf of southern California. Mar Biol, 138(3): 637–647
Costanza R, d’Arge R, deGroot R, et al. 1997. The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 387(6630): 253–260
Day J H. 1967. A monograph on the polychaeta of southern Africa, Part I, Errantia. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), 1–600
Duineveld G C A, Kunitzer A, Niermann U, et al. 1991. The macrobenthos of the North Sea. Neth J Sea Res, 28(1–2): 53–65
Eleftheriou A, Holme N A. 1984. Macrofauna techniques. In: Holme N A, McIntyre A D, eds. Methods for the Study of Marine Benthos, IBP Handbook 16. Oxford UK: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 140–216
El-Wakeel S K, Riley J P. 1957. Determination of organic carbon in the marine muds. Journal du Conseil Permanent International Pourl Exploration de la mer, 22(2): 180–183
Fernando A, Olivia J F S, 2002. A Field Guide to the Common Invertebrates of the East Coast of India. Annamalai: Annamalai Univerisity, 1–258
Gibson R N. 1982. Recent studies on the biology of intertidal fishes. Ocean Mar Bio Ann Rev, 20: 363–414
Gleason H A. 1992. On the relation between species and area. Ecology, 3(2): 158–162
Heck J R K L, Hays G, Orth R J. 2003. Critical evaluation of the nursery role hypothesis for seagrass meadows. Mar Eco Pro Ser, 253: 123–136
Hemminga M A, Duarte C M. 2000. Seagrass Ecology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1–298
Hoey G V, Degraer S, Vincx M. 2004. Macro-benthic community structure of the soft bottom sediments at the Belgium continental shelf. Estuar, Coast Shelf Sci, 59(4): 599–613
Khan S A, Raffi S M, Lyla P S. 2005. Brachyuran crab diversity in natural Pitchavaram and artificially developed mangroves Vellar estuary. Current Science, 88: 1316–1324
Krumbein W C, Petttijohn F J. 1983. Manual of Sedimentary Petrography. New York: Appleton Century-Crafts Inc, 549
Kumar P S, Khan A B. 2013. The distribution and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna in Pondicherry Mangroves, India. Aquatic Bios, 9: 15
Kundu S, Mondal N, Lyla P S, et al. 2010. Biodiversity and seasonal variation of macro-benthic infaunal community in the inshore waters of Parangipettai Coast. Enviro Moni Asse, 163(1–4): 67–79
Lopez Y, Royo G, Casazza C, et al. 2010. A biotic index using the seagrass Posidonis oceanic (Bipo), to evaluate the ecological status of coastal waters. Ecol Indi, 10: 380–389
Mullin J B, Riley J P. 1955. The spectrophotometric determination of nitrate in natural water with particular reference to Sea water. Ana Chim Acta, 12: 464–480
Murphy J, Riley J P. 1962. A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Ana Chim Acta, 27: 31–36
Orth R J. 1973. Benthic infauna of eelgrass, Zostera marina, beds. Chesapeake Sci, 14(4): 258–269
Paula J, Fidalgo Ecosta P, Martins A, et al. 2001. Patterns of Abundance of Seagrasses and Associated Infaunal Communities at Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Estuar, Coast Shelf Sci, 53(3): 307–318
Pearson T H, Rosenberg R. 1978. Macrobenthos secession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment. Ocean Mar Bio Ann Rev, 16: 229–234
Pielou E C. 1966. The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collection. Theor Biol, 13: 131–144
Raut D, Ganesh T, Murty N V V S, et al. 2005. Macrobenthos of Kakinada Bay in the Godavari delta, east coast of India: Comparing decadal changes. Estuar, Coast Shelf Sci, 62(4): 609–620
Sanders H L. 1968. Marine benthic diversity: A comparative study. Ame Natur, 102(925): 243–282
Saravanakumar A, Sesh Serebiah J, Thivakaran G A, et al. 2007. Benthic macrofaunal assemblage in the arid zone mangroves of Gulf of Kachchh-Gujarat. J Ocean Uni China, 6(3): 303–309
Satheeshkumar P. 2012. Mangrove vegetation and community structure of brachyuran crabs as ecological indicators of Pondicherry coast, South east coast of India. Iranian J Fish, 11(1): 184–203
Satheeshkumar P, Khan A B. 2012a. Identification of mangrove water quality by multivariate statistical analysis methods in Pondicherry coast, India. Envir Moni Ass, 184(6): 3761–3774
Satheeshkumar P, Khan A B. 2012b. Influence of environmental parameters on the distribution and diversity of molluscan composition in Pondicherry mangroves, Southeast coast of India. Ocean Sci J, 47(1): 61–71
Schrijvers J, Camargo M G, Pratiwi R, et al. 1998. The infaunal macrobenthos under East African Ceriops tagal mangroves impacted by epibenthos. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 222(1–2): 175–193
Semprucci F, Paola B, Anita M, et al. 2010. Benthic communities along a littoral of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy). Helg Mar Res, 64(2): 101–115
Shannon C E, Weaver W. 1963. The Mathematical Theory of Communication. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 117
Snedecor G W, Cochran W G. 1967. Statistical Methods. 6th ed. Ames: The Iowa State University Press, 593
Snelgrove P V R. 1998. The biodiversity of macrofaunal organisms in marine sediments. Bio Cons, 7(9): 1123–1132
Strickland J D H, Parsons T R. 1968. A Practical Handbook of Seawater Analysis. Ottawa: Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 167, 311
Strickland J D H, Parsons T R. 1972. A Practical Handbook of Seawater Analysis. 2nd ed. Ottawa: Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin No 167, 419
Williams A B. 1984. Shrimps, Lobsters and Crabs of the Atlantic Coast Eastern United Stated, Maine to Florida. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 550
Williams S L, Heck K L Jr. 2001. Seagrass community ecology. In: Bertness M D, Gainess S D, Hay M E, eds. Marine Community Ecology. Sunderland: Sinauer, 317–337
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dalia Susan, V., Satheesh Kumar, P. & Pillai, N.G.K. Biodiversity and seasonal variation of benthic macrofauna in Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep, India. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 33, 58–73 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-014-0541-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-014-0541-3