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Sediment organic matter content drives bivalve density in tropical oligotrophic seagrass ecosystem

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Title Sediment organic matter content drives bivalve density in tropical oligotrophic seagrass ecosystem
 
Creator Mishra, A K
Farooq, S H
 
Subject Cardita calyculata
India
Tropical island
Oligotrophic
Seagrass
Thalassia hemprichii
 
Description 91-100
Seagrass ecosystems are storehouses of both autochthonous and allochthonous organic matter due to their presence at the
land and sea interface. This organic matter acts as a food source and plays an important role in biodiversity assemblages
within seagrass ecosystems. The present study assessed the density of the bivalve (Cardita calyculata) along a gradient of
sediment Organic Matter (OM %) in the mono-specific seagrass meadows of Thalassia hemprichii to those in adjacent bare
sediments in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) of India. The present study also assessed the correlation between
sediment OM with Cardita's density and seagrass morphometric traits. C. calyculata density was 2-fold higher in
T. hemprichii meadows (647.7±27.0 ind. m-2) than in the bare sediment (306±14.3 ind. m-2). Bivalve abundance correlated
positively with OM in the seagrass meadows but showed no correlation in the unvegetated areas. The root branching of
seagrass was higher, leading to increased C. calyculata density, suggesting a strong correlation of seagrass meadows with
bivalves in nutrient-rich environments. The correlations between C. calyculata density and various plant traits were positive.
Our study suggests that in the oligotrophic coastal ecosystems of the ANI, the positive influence of sediment OM of seagrass
meadows on C. calyculata density is significant. Further studies looking at various interactions between seagrass and
C. calyculata are essential to establish the precise interrelationship between seagrass and the biodiversity of associated
faunal assemblages.
 
Date 2024-03-04T05:56:48Z
2024-03-04T05:56:48Z
2024-02
 
Type Article
 
Identifier 2582-6727 (Online); 2582-6506 (Print)
http://nopr.niscpr.res.in/handle/123456789/63520
https://doi.org/10.56042/ijms.v52i02.6927
 
Language en
 
Publisher NIScPR-CSIR,India
 
Source IJMS Vol.52(02) [February 2023]