Habitat preference of seaweeds at a tropical island of southern Malaysia

Abstract

Merambong Island has a diverse assemblage of marine organisms; however, reclamation activity has changed the nature of the island. Hence, this research was conducted to provide the latest inventory of algae throughout a 12-month assessment with correlations to their specific habitats namely sandy, rocky, muddy, and mangrove. The single line transectquadrat method was used to collect samples along temporary 25-meter transects with 5 replications at each site. The specimens were processed in the laboratory and deposited in the herbarium at Algae Herbarium, National University of Malaysia. A total of 46 species were identified including 22 species of Chlorophyceae, six species of Phaeophyceae, and 17 species of Rhodophyceae. The principal component analysis plot shows the species forming groups according to specific habitat. The cosmopolitan species were Chaetomorpha spp. that are able to adapt in various types of habitats. Thus, Merambong Island has great seaweed diversity with specific habitat preference.

Keywords

• seaweeds
• diversity
• habitat preference
• tropical island