Community structure of conches (Strombus spp) in seagrass bed of Haria, Central Maluku, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract The coastal community especially women and children in Maluku usually utilize marine organisms when low tide or locally known as bameti. The gear use in this activity is simple such as spear, knife, and digger, or even by using bare hand. One of the target marine organisms is the conch (Strombus spp) that lives in the coastal area on a seagrass bed. This research was conducted to study the community structure of Strombus spp in Haria coastal waters, Central Maluku, Indonesia in February 2020. The sample was collected by using transect linear quadrate with the size of quadrate is 1൱m2. As many as 297 individuals of Strombus spp were collected during the study which consists of five species namely Strombus labiatus, S. mutabilis, S. urceus, S. gibberulus, and S. luhuanus. S. labiatus has the highest density and occurrence frequency while the lowest belongs to S. luhuanus. Based on ecological indexes, Strombus spp in the area have high diversity and high evenness with low dominance.