Community structure of seagrass in Waai and Lateri waters, Ambon Island, Indonesia

Seagrass ecosystems of Ambon Island have the potential as shelter, feeding, and spawning ground from various organisms and play an important role for the coastal marine environment. However, habitat of seagrass is under pressure as the result of the utilization of increased activity in the region, causing a decrease in the ecological potential and contribution. This study aims at analyzing seagrass communities structure, including species composition, density, frequency of attendance and percent coverage of seagrass in the surrounding waters of Waai and Lateri, Ambon Island, Indonesia. The results show that there are four species of seagrasses, namely Halodule uninervis, Cymodocea serrulata, Enhalus acoroides, and Halophila ovalis found in the station of Waai. The highest density was found in H. uninervis with a density value of 153.2 shoot m-2. The highest frequency of occurrence is found on the type H. uninervis with a value of 0.8, whereas the lowest was found in H. ovalis with a value of 0.06. For the Waai station the highest percent coverage contributed by C. serrulata with a value of 34.74%. In the Lateri station, two species of seagrasses are found namely Enhalus acoroides and Thalassia hemprichii. T. hemprichii is found as having the highest density with a value of 20.5 shoot m-2. The highest frequency of occurrence is found in E. acoroides with a value of 0.62. The total value of the percent coverage in the Lateri station is 42.27%, the highest coverage percent being contributed by T. hemprichii (24.95%).