Preliminary assessment of Tripneustes gratilla populations in Seagrass Beds of the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Abstract Many sea urchins, including the collector urchin Tripneustes gratilla , are well known for their role as herbivores, contributing to the control of fast growing macroalgae that can potentially overgrow and dominate seagrass beds and reef flats. Tripneustes gratilla is a short-spined sea urc...
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Published in | IOP conference series. Earth and environmental science Vol. 763; no. 1; pp. 12008 - 12015 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Bristol
IOP Publishing
01.05.2021
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Abstract
Many sea urchins, including the collector urchin
Tripneustes gratilla
, are well known for their role as herbivores, contributing to the control of fast growing macroalgae that can potentially overgrow and dominate seagrass beds and reef flats.
Tripneustes gratilla
is a short-spined sea urchin that can be easily found and collected by hand from the seagrass meadows which are their main habitat, especially during low tide. The exploitation of this species in Indonesia began to expand several years ago when the demand for
T. gratilla
gonads started to rise, for both commercial purposes and household consumption. This study aimed to determine the population and distribution of
T. gratilla
in seagrass ecosystems with different conditions across the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The results indicate that
T. gratilla
population abundance and size distribution are affected by several factors: seagrass condition, water quality, and the intensity of sea urchin collection. The results also emphasize the urgent need for developing and implementing effective management to ensure the sustainability of this important sea urchin species. |
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ISSN: | 1755-1307 1755-1315 |
DOI: | 10.1088/1755-1315/763/1/012008 |