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SARANGANI BAY
January 2017
I. Introduction
Meiobenthos, also called meiofauna, are small benthic invertebrates that live in
both marine and fresh water environments and are considered numerically dominant
metazoans (Hongayo et al., 2012). They are defined by their body size (44-1000 m)
and are the most diversified element of the marine biota: as many as 24 of the 35
animal phyla have meiobenthic representatives which live in meiofauna, whether for all
The meiofauna are abundant and diverse even in habitats, such as estuaries,
which are subjected to considerable natural physical and chemical stress and where
only a small numbers of macrofauna species occurs (Sezgin et al., 2016). Meiofauna
reflect the quality of the ecosystem since they assumed key role in the food chain
serving as prey of higher trophic level organisms and in the cycling of nutrients.
Because of their sensitivity to the effects of urbanization, meiofauna will show the
effects of pollution faster and at lower concentrations than most other organisms, so
they are good indicators for the chemical pollution. In addition, the marine meiofauna is
often a very useful tool for biological monitoring since the community structure may be
al., 2012).
Pollution may also occur in offshore environments, such as drilling rigs and oil
platforms. When present in sufficient quantities, and under certain conditions, pollutants
influence the biota living within and at the sediment interface. While urbanization has
not occurred along all stretches of the coast, many coastal areas have already been
Sarangani Bay. Probably the main obstacles of studying benthic meiofauna are its small
size, together with difficulties in isolating the meiofauna from the sediments and the
al., 2012).
This study aims, therefore, to generate information about the meiofauna present
in the area and to observe the meiofaunal community structure of the selected estuarine
beach areas of Sarangani Bay to assess the possible anthropogenic impact. In general,
it is expected that the more anthropogenically impacted estuaries will show a change in
the community structure, with an increase in total meiofauna but a decrease in copepod
the community structure and the properties of the sediment and water of the area
III. Significance
The main importance of this study is to identify the meiofaunal taxa and observe
the meiofaunal community structure in estuaries of Sarangani Bay. The results of this
study will serve as baseline information of the meiofaunal taxa and their abundance.
Also, the meiofaunal community structure in different estuaries can be used to assess
the possible anthropogenic impact in the area. This raised awareness of the importance
ecosystem dynamics and the lack of background information on them suggest the
creation of baseline research, which `provide the first steps for a comprehensive
understanding of the effect of habitat loss, and fragmentation, since the state and
composition of meiofauna assemblages may reflect the general health of the marine
benthos.
IV. Scope and Limitation
The study area is limited in the selected estuaries of Sarangani Bay. This study
estuaries. Sampling will involve coring method. Salinity and temperature were the only
physical parameters taken. The variables measured for sediment analysis included
matter). The data for each sample will be recorded for further analysis using community
analysis).
Meiofauna as a Bio-indicator
al., 2010). It is the most abundant benthic group in the marine realm, and is thought to
al., 2012). The two most abundant types of meiofauna are copepods and nematodes.
Copepods have a high dispersal rate, meaning that they spread out throughout the
sediment, and meiofauna in general are motile organisms that can move within the
sediment (Commito et al., 2002). Nematodes in particular inhabit every marine (and
terrestrial) habitat, display high species richness and abundance and are the most
dominant and diverse meiofaunal group. They are highly abundant, ubiquitous, have
short generation times, absence of a planktonic phase in their life cycles and have high
metabolic rates. These meiofaunal characteristics suggest a shorter response time and
their higher sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbances in aquatic habitats (Vedra, 2013).
Also, due to the different feeding strategies between species, information about the type
Community Structure
number of species present, and species diversity, which is a measure of both species
by many factors, including abiotic factors, species interactions, level of disturbance, and
patterns of consumers and resources provide information on trophic interactions and the
spatial scales at which these interactions occur (Steyaert et al., 2003). In general,
estuaries will show a change in the community structure, with an increase in total
Estuary
and the sea mix. These areas can have many various characteristics as they are not
only affected by ocean processes such as tides and waves, but are also affected by
freshwater runoff and sediment input from the terrestrial area (Martinez, 2011).
Estuaries are claimed to be one of the most productive non-cultivated ecosystems on
earth (Warwick and Gee, 1984). Estuarine intertidal flats are sites of intense biological
by benthic microalgae, with production rates typically in the order of 100 g C m2 yr1
(Herman et al., 2001). According to (Steyaert et al. 2003 & Heip et al. 1985), In general,
extremely high abundances of meiofauna, with nematodes always the dominant taxon,
Urbanization
Urbanization is the growth of an urban area, which can be seen by the building of
more housing, growth of industries, and increased human waste (Martinez, 2011).
introduce large amounts of pollutants into marine areas, causing permanent and
diversity; iv) dwarfism (Lilliput effect); v) changes in reproduction capability; and vi)
Thermometer
Refractometer
63m sieve
Petri dishes
Beaker
Wash Bottles
Stereo-microscope
Philippines. Sarangani Bay has an area of about 449 km2, extending from Tampuan
Point in Maasim to Sumbang Point in Glan. The length of coastline between these
points is about 79 km. The average depth is 350m. This coupled with its wide opening
and the low discharge rates of rivers make Sarangani waters strongly oceanic in salinity
(De Jesus et al., 2001). Five estuaries were selected to be the study area, one in
Gensan and Glan, three in Malapatan. Four of the selected estuaries were considered
well traversed because of the adjacent human settlements and agricultural farms (fish
General sample locations within each site were chosen. In both locations, four
samples were taken at various sites which are from mouth to head, based on distance
from the shore. To collect samples, cores with diameter 2.2cm were used to pick up
approximately 1-2cm depth of sediment, with four cores making up one total sample.
One sample will be taken in each site, with a total 5 samples (20 replicates) to be
examined. In soil analysis, five soil containers will be filled to be examined in the lab for
the presence of heavy metals (Zn,Cu,Pb) to confirm the pollution in the area.
All the samples collected will be kept in a refrigerator overnight to preserve the
living organisms until processing in the lab the following day. To prepare the samples
for analysis, a solution of 10% Formalin and 1% Rose Bengal was measured out to
match the volume of sample, which was 22.8mL. This solution allowed for preservation
of the meiofaunal structures and staining of those structures for later viewing (Martinez,
2011).
To analyze the samples, the samples were split into smaller portions to allow for
ease of counting with smaller volumes of organisms. These portions were each filtered
with filtered tap water in a 63m sieve, which was considered to be the lower size limit
of meiofauna for the purposes of this study. When there was no longer any material
falling through the sieve, the floating material was poured into a Petri dish, leaving sand,
plant material, and other large particles in the sieve. This procedure was used because
of the fact that the meiofauna are less dense than the sand and plant materials and so
they could be rinsed off the top of that material and poured out with the water. As this is
not an exact form of separation, the remaining sieve material was kept and later run
through the sieve again in an attempt to make sure that all present meiofauna were
collected in the Petri dishes (Martinez, 2011). The collected meiofaunal organisms
were examined and identified under the use of stereoscope using pictorial key
The sediment samples will be weighed and computed for % sand, % silt, % clay
The data for each sample was recorded for further analysis using community
structure comparison, ANOVA, and the nematode to copepod ratio (Martinez, 2011).
In this particular study, in determining the abundance, the formula of Smith and
(47-53), (2013).
Bohol Philippines. Field biology (Bio 10), Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Maria Balsamo, Federica Semprucci, Fabrizio Frontalini and Rodolfo Coccioni (2012).
http://www.intechopen.com/books/marine-ecosystems/meiofauna-as-a-tool-for
marineecosystem-monitoring.
Balsamo, M., Albertelli, G., Ceccherelli, V.U., Coccioni, R., Colangelo, M.A., Curini
Galletti, M., Danovaro, R., DAddabbo, R., Leonardis,C., Fabiano, M., Frontalini,
F., Gallo, M., Gambi, C., Guidi, L., Moreno, M., Pusceddu, A., Sandulli, R.,
Semprucci, F., Todaro, M.A., & Tongiorgi, P.(2010). Meiofauna of the Adriatic
Sea: current state of knowledge and future perspective. Chemistry and Ecology,
(2011).
Harguinteguy, C.A., Cofr, M.N., Pastor deWard, C.T., Change in the meiofauna
Philippines, 102p.
Webcites
http://meiochile.matthewlee.org/?page_id=114
http://www.marbef.org/wiki/Meiofauna_of_Sandy_Beaches
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/community-structure-and-
diversity/a/community-structure
BUDGETARY REQUIREMENT
TOTAL = 18,400