Republic of the Philippines

Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija

Central Luzon State University
College of Fisheries

A CASE STUDY REPORT ON THE BIODIVERSITY OF AQUATIC

ORGANISM ON THE COASTAL AREA OF ANDA, PANGASINAN

As a partial fulfillment in the subject

ELECTIVE III
SPECIAL TOPICS IN AREM

Proponents:

LAB C Class

Submitted to:
ALVIN T. REYES

December 3, 2018
 Chapter 1

Problem and Its Setting

Introduction

An ecosystem is a naturally occurring assemblage of life and the environment. The life is

referred to the biotic community including the plants and other living organisms. The term

ecosystem first appeared in a publication by the British ecologist Arthur Tansley, during 1935.

An ecosystem may be of very different size. It may be a whole forest, as well as small pond.

Different ecosystems are often separated by geographical barriers, like desserts, mountains or

oceans, or are isolated otherwise, like lakes or rivers. The organisms in an ecosystem are usually

well balanced with each other and with their environment. Within an ecosystem, all living things

have a habitat or the physical area in which they live. (A. Balasubramanian, 2017)

The Philippines' rainforests and its extensive coastlines make it home to a diverse range

of birds, plants, animals, and sea creatures (Chanco, Boo, 1998). Philippine maritime

waters encompass as much as 2,200,000 square kilometers (849,425 sq mi) producing unique

and diverse marine life, an important part of the Coral Triangle.(Mohamad, 2009).

Tondol Beach is a white sand beach in the northeastern section of Anda,

Pangasinan. Tondol Beach features a long, white sand beach that is shallow and serene.(Anup

Shah, Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares?,January 2014)

This case studyaims to identify the different aquatic organisms and plants that are present

within the study area 100 meters away from shoreline, also to determine the situation of the

biodiversity in Tondol Beach located at Anda, Pangasinan.

 Objectives

The objectives of the study are:

 To know the different aquatic organisms and plants present in the study area

 Identify each species and sizes and;

 To estimate the population in the different quadrants.

Statement of the Problem

The study aims to identify the different aquatic organisms and plants that are present

within the study area 100 meters away from shoreline, also to determine the situation of the

biodiversity in Tondol Beach located at Anda, Pangasinan.

Scope and Limitations

This case study focused on reporting the current situation of thebiodiversity of aquatic

organism on the coastal area of Anda, Pangasinan. It includes the identification of different

marine species present in the coastal area. This study was conducted at Anda, Pangasinan and

Central Luzon State University, Science City of Munoz on the month of October to November,

year 2018.
 CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Sea grasses

Seagrasses ecosystem is defined as a unit of biological organization comprised of

interacting biotic and abiotic component (R. C. Philips et, al., 2003).

Seagrasses are monocotyledonous vascular flowering plant that live in coastal and

estuarine areas of the world. They unique in that they are; 1) usually totally submerged in the

water, 2) they possess a roots system with a stems buried within a soft substrate, 3) they have

vegetative and sexual reproduction, and 4) have flowers fertilized by water-borne pollen.(N. A.

Milchakovaet, al., 2003)

Seagrass meadows provide numerous ecological services, acting as essential habitat (e.g.

spawning, nursery, refuge and foraging areas) for many animals, including commercially and

recreationally important fish species.(Watson et. al., 1996)

Seagrasses can form vast aggregations, or meadows, which alter the flow of water,

nutrient cycling and food web structure of the local environment.(Hemminga& Duarte, 2000)

Seagrasses are not truly grasses. They belong to three families of monocotyledonous

plants, but are called seagrasses since they are usually from extensive underwater meadows,

which resembles fields of terrestrial grasses.(Brouns J. J. et, al., 1987)

There are approximately 50 species of seagrasses in 12 genera, seven genera are

considered tropical, while the remaining five are more or less confined to temperate waters.

(Thayer G. W. et, al., 1978)

 Seagrasses in this region are highly prolific and occur in mixed-species stands of great

biodiversity and complexity (Short et al, 2007). Sixteen species of seagrasses have been recorded

from the Philippines (Fortes, 1998).

The dominant species are Cymodocearotundata, Cymodoceaserullata, Enhalusacoroides,

Halodule sp., Syringodiumisoetifolium and Thalassiahemprechii. In multispecific seagrass

meadows, T. hemprechii, C. rotundata, Halodule sp. and S. isoetifolium are dominant in the

inter-tidal to upper sub-tidal zone, while C. serrulataand E. acoroides are more abundant in the

deeper sub-tidal zone (Green& Short, 2003).

Seagrasses and the associated ecosystem services they provide are, however, under direct

threat from a host of anthropogenic factors. A synthesis of 215 published studies showed that

seagrass habitat has disappeared worldwide at a rate of 110 km2yr between 1980 and

2006.(Short, et al., 2011)

As seagrasses require some of the highest light levels of any plant group worldwide, the

primary threat is loss of water clarity and quality, often brought about by eutrophication and

sediment loading stemming from reclamation, shoreline hardening, and dredging within coastal

regions.(Orth, et al., 2006)

Seagrass has a significant role in the marine biodiversity. It provides numerous ecological

services, acting as essential habitat for many animals. Conservation of the sea grass may help to

balance the ecosystem.

Philippine Biodiversity

Recent studies ranked Philippines as number 1 in number of widespread species of coral

reefs (Roberts et al., 2002).

The Philippines is one of the most biologically rich countries in the world and recognized

as such as an exclusive member of the 17 mega diversity countries. Nearly half of Philippine

biodiversity is found nowhere else in the world, thus it forms part of global living heritage.

However, it is also one of the most threatened as it has lost more than 75% of its original habitat

and recognized as such by being an exclusive member of the 25 global biodiversity hotspots. The

Philippines is predicted to be among the first countries in the world to suffer a total

environmental collapse (when the environment stops to provide the services it normally

provides) and species extinction spasm (when large groups of species go extinct at the same

time). Amidst this crisis that threatens the existence of Filipinos as a people, very few Filipinos

are even aware of this threat, neither are they moved to take action. This is so because the crisis

is overshadowed by other political, economic, military and social crises that beset the country.

People’s mindset is focused on tackling the other crises first before attending to biodiversity

crisis. Unless this “business as usual” mindset is changed immediately, the crisis will reach a

point of no return when nothing that we will do will prevent us to suffer the fate of extinction as

a people.(Perry S. Ong ,The state of Philippine biodiversity: Changing mindscapes amidst the

crisi)

The coastal communities in the project area of Northern Mt. Malindang in Misamis

Occidental depend mainly on fishing for livelihood. Their high dependence on the coastal

resources for food and income may have greatly contributed to resource depletion and habitat
degradation. The problems on resource depletion and habitat degradation have to be addressed to

sustain their livelihood and the resource base. Management interventions have to be well planned

to provide long-term economic benefits for the coastal communities.(Della Grace G. Bacaltos,

Erik de Ruyter van Steveninck, Participatory biodiversity assessment in the coastal areas of

Northern Mt. Malindang)

The full extent of the Philippines’ marine biodiversity is not known, but the best

information available reveals an astounding variety of marine life: 5,000 species of clams, snails

and mollusks (Springsteen and Leobrera 1986); 488 species of corals (Nemenzo 1981); 981

species of bottom-living algae (Silva et al 1987), and thousands of other organisms. Five of the

seven sea turtle species known to exist in the world today occur in Philippine waters.

The lists are likely to grow, as new surveys discover new species. In 1953, Herre recorded 1,815

marine fish species (out of a total of 2,145 fish species) in the Philippines; today, about 2,824

marine fish species are listed for the Philippines at Fish Base (February 2006), including 33

endemic (one of which is endangered), 1,729 reef-associated, 169 pelagic, and 336 Deepwater

species.

Biodiversity is of major interest to many people. Many marine organisms have yet to be

looked at for pharmacological purposes. Some sharks appear resistant to cancer. It turns out that

sharks are becoming endangered because of over-fishing. Some marine organism might hold the

cure to cancer, but we are destroying them before we get a chance to study them.(ODU News

2004)
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY
Locale of the Study

The students from Central Luzon State University conducted a case study at the coastal

area of Anda, Pangasinan on the month of October to November, 2018.The gathering and

analyzing of the data was conducted at the College of Fisheries, Central Luzon State University,

Science City of Munoz.

Sampling setup

The experimental setup of the case study was distributed into different parts of the

seagrasses beds within the area measured. Six quadrants were distributed in different parts of the

area. These quadrants were placed five meters away or more from each other.
Experimental Design and Layout

50 m

0.5 m

Quadrant 5
0.5 m Quadrant 6

Quadrant 3 Quadrant 4
100m

Quadrant 1
Quadrant 2
Data to be gathered

Kinds of seagrasses.The different kinds of seagrasses inside the quadrant will be identify.

Initial number of seagrasses. Total number of seagrasses inside the quadrant will be

determined.

Species.Thedifferent kinds of species inside the quadrant will be identified.

Analysis of data and Statistical Analysis

In data analysis of the species, it’s the density, diversity, similarity and dominant will be

analysed.

Formulae for the calculation of the following:

Density (D)

𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔

𝑫𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 = Ʃ
𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂

Diversity

𝒏𝒐. 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐. 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔

𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒙 = Ʃ ( ) 𝒍𝒏 ( )
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒐. 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒐. 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒎𝒔

Biodiversity Category

Diversity < 2.0 Low

2.0 < Diversity < 3.0 Moderate

Diversity >3.0 High

Similarity

𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒙
𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒔 =
𝒍𝒏 (𝒏𝒐. 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔)

Similarity Category

0 < Similarity < 0.50 Depressed of

Community

0.5 < Similarity < 0.75 Labile Community

0.75 < Similarity < 1.0 Stabile Community

Dominant

𝒏𝒐. 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔

𝑫𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒙 = Ʃ
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒐. 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒎𝒔

Dominant Category

0 < Dominant < 0.5 Low

0.5 < Dominant < 0.75 Moderate

0.75 < Dominant < 1.0 High

Preparation of experimental materials

The preparation of materials needed in the case study was made. The materials used were

bamboo sticks that measures 0.7 meters in length to create a quadrant 0.5 meters in width and 0.5
meters in length. The bamboos were attached with bottles filled with sand placed on the four

corners of each quadrants to submerge it on the seagrass bed. Two straws were measured with

the size of 50 meters for the width of the area and two 100 meters for the length of the area. The

four bamboo stakes were measured for 2 meters each used as a pole for the boundaries of the

area. For the measurement of species collected, a white board were used with a ruler pasted on it.

Glass containers were bought so the unidentified species will be placed inside it. The formalin

was diluted into 10% solution using distilled water.

Experimental conduct

In conducting the experiment, the bamboo stakes were placed first on the seagrass bed

and then the straws were tied onto them so that the area to be used will be measured correctly.

The quadrants were laid on different part of the area measured. Each quadrant must be at least

5m away from each other. The seagrasses and aquatic organisms inside the quadrant were

identified and counted. Glass containers were used for the collection of unidentified aquatic

organisms inside the quadrants, diluted formalin is used to preserve the aquatic organisms, and

measuring board to get the sizes of the identified and unidentified aquatic organisms.
Collection of aquatic organism

The collection of aquatic organisms started by measuring a 50m width and 100m length

within the seagrasses area with a total area of 5000 m2. Six quadrantsmade of bamboo were

distributed in the different parts of the area. The organism/s inside the quadrants were collected

and identified.
 CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Seagrasses are one of the most valuable marine resource in coastal ecosystem, where they

sustain high primary production, provide ecosystem services such as habitat for economically

important species (Agawin et al., 1996).

A total of 10 species of seagrass were identified and recorded. In seagrass community, it

is observable that Thalassia,CymodoceaandEnhalus spp. are the species of seagrasses that

dominates the seagrass community in Anda, Pangasinan with a corresponding figures of 199,138

and 99 individuals in 1.5 m2 respectively. The apparent absence of Halophilaovalis,

EnhalusacoroidesandCymdococearotundata mainly because of its horizontal zonation. They

mainly thrive on the deeper part of littoral zone. Its morphological structure supported the

statement above with a long leaves (7-15 cm) suggested that these species of seagrass residing

only at deeper part of littoral zone. These three species were collected at 75-100 meters from the

shoreline. While the remaining seagrass collected is residing at the adjacent shoreline from 5-75

meters. The lower depth of limit of all seagrass species declined systematically along the silt

gradient. The maximum depth penetration of main plant patches is between 2 to 3 meters. From

the overall changes in species composition, depth penetration and shoot density along the

siltation gradient the 7 seagrasses could be ranked from the most least persistent species as

follows:

Enhalusacoroides>Cymodoceaserrulata>Haloduleuninervis>Thalassiahemprichii>Halophilaov

alis>Cymodocearotundata>Syringodiumisoetifolium(Bach et al., 1998).

 On the other hand, in mollusks community, Onoba, Allosdicus, Cotonopsis and

Cantharus spp. got the highest recorded count within a sampling site with 20, 7, 8 and 8

individuals in all sampling quadrants. According to Purcell et al. (2009) densities with less than

100 individuals per hectare are considered low, less than 30 individuals may be at a critical level

at which population will fail to repopulate. Other study on Mollusks assemblage had a significant

relationship with vegetation and sediments characteristics due to high biomass and organic

contents (Bautista et al., 2017). Only 4 species of echinoderms were recorded in the sampling

area, namely Proteaternodosus, Salmacissphaeroides, AdemaantillarumandEvenichuschloriticus.

Among of all species collected in echinoderms, the Salmacissphaeroidesgot the highest count

with 8 individuals recorded within all 6 sampling site.

Among 16 species of seagrass that can be found in the Philippines, 10 out of 16 species

can be found in Anda,Pangasinan waters. A total of 18 species of mollusks and 4 species of

Echinoderms were also seen within the sampling area. With a total of 32 species of

seagrass,mollusks and echinoderms were found from the shoreline extending up to 100 meters.

Based on the computed data, the seagrass bed categories were analyzed. The result of the

biodiversity of the seagrass bed is LOW; the similarity is DEPRESSED OF COMMUNITY and

the dominance is also LOW.

 CONCLUSION

Seagrasses are one of the most valuable marine resource in coastal ecosystem, where they

sustain high primary production, provide ecosystem services such as habitat for economically

important species (Agawin et al., 1996).

Based on the data gathered, a total of 10 species of seagrass were identified and recorded.

Thalassia, Cymodocea and Enhalus spp. are the species of seagrasses that dominates the seagrass

community in Anda, Pangasinan. The apparent absence of Halophilaovalis, Enhalusacoroides

and Cymdococearotundata mainly because of its horizontal zonation. Onoba, Allosdicus,

Cotonopsis and Cantharus spp. got the highest recorded count of mollusks.Only 4 species of

echinoderms were recorded in the sampling area, namely Proteaternodosus,

Salmacissphaeroides, Ademaantillarum and Evenichuschloriticus. Among of all species collected

in echinoderms, the Salmacissphaeroidesgot the highest count.

Based on the computed data, the seagrass bed categories were analyzed. The result of the

biodiversity of the seagrass bed is LOW; the similarity is DEPRESSED OF COMMUNITY and

the dominance is also LOW.

Sea grasses plays a vital role in maintaining the ecological equilibrium. It is needed in

order to maintain the balance in the food chain/web and serving a good habitat and breeding area

for other aquatic organisms.

Problems in the environment due to anthropogenic activities and natural causes can be

reflected in the status of the different marine organisms.

 All aquatic organisms are important in the ecosystem. They can also covers and diversity

can be improved with the stringent application of management measures aimed at conserving

aquatic resources.
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