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Shehada I. Tawasil

  • Biodiversity Journal, 12 (2): 0301-0311

    Shehada I. Tawasil, Ranjiv D. Alibon & Sophia L. Bensali
    Species diversity of Echinoderms in Manubul Island, Sulu Province, Southern Philippines
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2021.12.2.301.311

    ABSTRACT
    Echinoderms, often the most common marine organisms in the intertidal areas, are one of the target organisms in commercial fishing in Sulu Province, Southern Philippines. Proper regulation of Echinoderm harvesting requires a baseline data on its species diversity. Thus, we conducted a rapid survey of Echinoderms in the intertidal areas of Manubul Island, Sulu Province for three months to assess its species diversity using the Belt Transect Method. We identified 14 Echinoderm species through morphology-based identification with Tripneustes gratilla as the most frequently recorded species, comprising 17.94% of the total sightings. The recorded Echinoderms in Manubul Island is moderately diverse (H’= 2.089), possibly due to habitat heterogeneity (seagrass, mangrove, and beach ecosystems), and normal water conditions of the island (water temperature, pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen). Although most of the identified Echinoderm species in Manubul Island are common to other areas, the island was found to be a habitat of one data deficient species (Holothuria arenicola) and one endangered species (Holothuria scabra), and this has important implications on effective regulation of Echinoderm harvesting in the island in order to protect and conserve them as well as to attain its sustainable utilization.