An insight on the flora species and meiofauna distribution at Pantai Kelanang mangrove forest, Morib, Selangor

Mangrove forest at Pantai Kelanang was famous for its diverse marine wildlife and various density of flora and meiofauna distributed at Morib shorelines. Moreover, the diverse marine wildlife, variation of flora and meiofauna distribution at Kelanang mangrove area has never been documented. Kelanang mangrove forest is also surrounded within heavy industrial activity zoning along the Malacca Straits. The objective of this study is to determine the diversity and distribution density of the mangrove flora and meiofauna at different intertidal zones influenced by prolonged human activities. Block sampling technique with quadrat analysis was used in this study. There are two major plants species belonging to Avicennia and Sonneratia families that have been discovered, where the average diameter at breast height was recorded between 3.3 to 32 cm and the average height ranged between 2.0 to 14.5 m. Whereas, Nematoda was found to be the largest distributed meiofauna compared to other meiofauna taxa such as Harpacticoida, Copepoda, Oligochaetea and Polychaetea. Flora species at Kelanang mangrove forest are less diverse at different intertidal zones and the meiofauna diversity were less at the mid- and high-intertidal zones. This finding may be a direct consequence of the influence of heavy industrial activities along the Malacca Straits

Food and Feeding Habits of Fishes in Brunei Bay, Malaysia

The study of the food and feeding habits of fishes is crucial in understanding their ecology. Food and feeding habits of the 30 fish species belonging to 22 families from Bukit Sari and Awat-awat of Lawas in the Bay of Brunei were studied on 11th February 2020 and 12th February 2020 respectively. Samples were collected using “Kabat” nets, casting nets, and seine nets. The dietary components of each species were studied and expressed as a percentage of numerical composition (N), percentage of weight composition (W), and percentage of frequency of occurrence (F). Diet compositions of the species were estimated using the Index of Relative Importance (%IRI) and trophic level (TROPHj). The major food and their Index of Relative Importance (%IRI) showed the highest was shrimps (64.25%) followed by crabs (11.78%), zooplankton (6.94%), fish (6.91%), algae (4.21%), plants (1.48%), mollusks (1.01%) and others below 1.0%. TROPHj value ranged from 2.0 to 4.2 and the trophic level value of 25 fish species was carnivorous, followed by 2 species (detritivorous and herbivorous) respectively, and 1 species (piscivorous). The findings of the study may offer important data for developing management plans for the region's fishing resources

Association between root complexity of Rhizophora apiculata and sedimentation at Pantai Kelanang, Selangor

Roots play important roles in tree structural adaptation and accumulation of nutrients during growth. This is particularly critical for mangrove trees that facing strong current and weak based for implantation in the sand. However, how the complexity of mangrove roots contributes to structural adaptation and affect sedimentation remains unelucidated. In this study, the complexity of Rhizophora apiculata’s roots influence the sedimentation under the root structures and at the walkway area in Pantai Kelanang, Morib were investigated. The complexity of R. apiculata pneumatophores was computationally analyzed. The sediment composition was measured using a wet-sieve method and laser diffraction method. The correlative analysis shows that no definite pattern between angles and lengths of R. apiculata roots. Assessment of sediment composition shows significant differences between walkways and under the roots. There is a high accumulation of organic matter and sand in sediment samples from under the roots. While the walkway has a high accumulation of clays and silt than others. Mathematical scoring reveals a positive association between root complexities with the accumulation of organic matters and sand in both areas. While sand and clay accumulation are inversely associated

Food and feeding habits of fishes in Brunei Bay, Malaysia

The study of the food and feeding habits of fishes is crucial in understanding their ecology. Food and feeding habits of the 30 fish species belonging to 22 families from Bukit Sari and Awat-awat of Lawas in the Bay of Brunei were studied on 11th February 2020 and 12th February 2020 respectively. Samples were collected using “Kabat” nets, casting nets, and seine nets. The dietary components of each species were studied and expressed as a percentage of numerical composition (N), percentage of weight composition (W), and percentage of frequency of occurrence (F). Diet compositions of the species were estimated using the Index of Relative Importance (%IRI) and trophic level (TROPHj). The major food and their Index of Relative Importance (%IRI) showed the highest was shrimps (64.25%) followed by crabs (11.78%), zooplankton (6.94%), fish (6.91%), algae (4.21%), plants (1.48%), mollusks (1.01%) and others below 1.0%. TROPHj value ranged from 2.0 to 4.2 and the trophic level value of 25 fish species was carnivorous, followed by 2 species (detritivorous and herbivorous) respectively, and 1 species (piscivorous). The findings of the study may offer important data for developing management plans for the region's fishing resources