Seagrass - Sea urchin interaction in shallow littoral zones of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorMamboya, Florence
dc.contributor.authorLugomela, Charles
dc.contributor.authorMvungi, Esther F.
dc.contributor.authorHamisi, Mariam
dc.contributor.authorKamukuru, Albogast T.
dc.contributor.authorLyimo, Thomas J.
dc.date.accessioned2016-09-21T13:01:00Z
dc.date.available2016-09-21T13:01:00Z
dc.date.issued2008-07
dc.description.abstractSeagrasses biomass, canopy height, shoot density, percentage cover, and sea urchin abundance wereintermittently (between July and November 2007) studied at four littoral sites in the Dar es Salaam area(Mjimwema, Mbweni, Bongoyo Island and Mbudya Island) in order to investigate the seagrass–sea urchinassociation.2. Seagrass biomass ranged from 126.7765.62 g dwt m2in the upper sub-tidal area at Bongoyo Island to508.17133.4 g dwt m2in the upper sub-littoral area at Mbudya Island. Canopy height ranged from6.5172.76 cm in the mid-littoral zone at Mjimwema to 23.878.93 cm in the upper sub-littoral zone atMbudya Island. Shoot densities ranged from 363.67268.9 shoots m2in the mid-littoral zone at Mjimwema to744.07466.9 shoots m2in the lower littoral zone at Mbudya Island.3. Seagrass biomass, canopy height and percentage cover differed significantly among study sites (P 5 0.001,0.0001, 0.008 respectively). However, there was no significant difference in shoot density among the sites(P 5 0.376).4. Ten species of sea urchins were recorded, Echinometra mathaei being the most abundant followed byTripneustes gratilla. Total sea urchin abundance was significantly different among the study sites (P 5 0.001).Seagrass–sea urchin interaction was depicted by significant negative correlations between sea urchin densitieswith seagrass biomass, canopy height, shoot density and percentage cover. This suggests that grazing by seaurchins might have contributed to the reduction of above ground seagrass biomass in locations with higher seaurchin densities. However, further studies are required to corroborate the present results and assess effects ofother factors (e.g. light, nutrients and currents), which also influence seagrass growth.en_US
dc.identifier.citationMamboya, F., Lugomela, C., Mvungi, E., Hamisi, M., Kamukuru, A.T. and Lyimo, T.J., 2009. Seagrass–sea urchin interaction in shallow littoral zones of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 19(S1), pp.S19-S26.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/aqc.1041
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/3860
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherWiley Online Libraryen_US
dc.subjectSeagrass biomassen_US
dc.subjectCanopy heighten_US
dc.subjectShoot densityen_US
dc.subjectSea urchin abundanceen_US
dc.subjectTanzaniaen_US
dc.titleSeagrass - Sea urchin interaction in shallow littoral zones of Dar es Salaam, Tanzaniaen_US
dc.typeJournal Article, Peer Revieweden_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Seagrass - Sea urchin interaction in shallow littoral zones of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.pdf
Size:
7.61 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Full Text
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Department of Botany