Seagrass coverage and associated fauna at Gaya Island, Sabah, Malaysia: a pilot seagrass transplantation

Seagrasses provide a range of marine ecosystem services. These include coastal protection, biodiversity, provision of food for various organisms, breeding and nursery habitats for many marine species, and carbon storage. Increasing anthropogenic pressures have contributed to the decline of seagrass habitats. Transplantation is one of the solutions to increase seagrass coverage and resilience. What is often overlooked, however, is the ability of this tropical ecosystem to attract and support faunal assemblages that may impinge on the success of the transplantation. A pilot study on seagrass transplantation at Gaya Island (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah) was intended for observing its stability and species of fauna that develop association with this vegetation. The study covered the southwest and northeast monsoons. Mixed seagrass species were planted on approximately 50% of 30 m 2 transplantation areas. Monitoring of the planted seagrass was carried out in five phases (T1-T5) from September 2016 to April 2018. Weekly observations were made by SCUBA diving. Identification of associated fauna was done on the spot and was based on morphological characteristics. During the T1 (September to December 2016) the seagrass coverage was reduced to 41% due to strong waves generated by the northeast monsoon. However, the seagrass coverage increased ( 66 %) during the southwest monsoon (T2 -T4) in 2017. In early 2018 (T5), the seagrass coverage again reduced (about 18%) due to strong waves but recovered again at the end of the monitoring period (April 2018). A total of 30 species of fauna that were identified consisted of 9 resident and 21 non-resident species. Physical structure of transplanted seagrass created a microhabitat, and increased the food availability and abundance, which attracted many species of different trophic levels

Impacts of Associated Fauna on Seagrass During The Conditioning Period In Husbandry Tanks: Gaya Island, Sabah, Malaysia Case Study

Sustainability of seagrass restoration raised concern especially limitation and condition of donor seagrass meadows. To counter this, “gardening” approach can be applied by growing seagrass shoots asexually and sexually in a nursery facility. This study was carried out to identify the fauna species associated with seagrass in the husbandry tanks at Marine Ecology Research Centre (MERC), Gaya Island, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Associated fauna was identified to the lowest taxa, while their behaviour and potential impacts on seagrass growth were recorded weekly for 9 months (April 2016 to December 2016). Bite marks on the seagrass leaves were reconfirmed through isolation of fauna with seagrass leaves. Total of 18 species of fauna identified, mostly were mesograzers foraging on seagrass or epiphytic algae. Those are polychaeta, grammarid amphipod, sphaeromatid isopod, sea hares, nerites snails and greenspine sea urchin which left specific bite marks on the seagrass leaves. Also, there is discovery of boring bivalve residing inside the rhizome of the seagrass. Quarantine protocol should implement in the future nursery facility, by removing harmful organisms and introduce beneficial organisms as biological control, to ensure higher survival and growth of seagrass

Effect of artificial structures on shoreline profile of Selingan Island, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia

Selingan Island off Sandakan, Sabah is a famous turtle nesting ground and a part of the Turtle Islands Park (TIP) within the Coral Triangle region of Malaysia. This small island faces the serious problem of beach erosion that is reducing the turtle nesting area. Sabah Parks deployed stone revetments in 2005, followed by placement of reef balls at the southern part of the Selingan Island in 2007 for protecting the shoreline. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of these measures for shoreline protection. Shoreline changes were determined from satellite images, beach profiling and field observations. Satellite images from 2010 to 2016 were obtained from Google Earth Pro analyzed to examine the changes in the shape and size of the island with QGIS software. Beach profiling was performed in December 2017 at three sites and compared with the condition in 2011. The findings indicated that the shape of the island was squeezed towards the east where the reef balls were located. The size of the island has not changed much in 9 years after the deployment of the reef balls, but a high volume of sediments accumulated at the south due to the presence of shoreline protection. Generally, the man-made structures in Selingan Island are effective in trapping the sediment and providing more nesting area for turtles. It is recommended that the shoreline dynamics of the island should be regularly monitored for better understanding of the changes and taking appropriate actions

The occurrence of boring bivalve (Genus: Zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia) and its possible ecological implications

Shipworms (family Teredinidae) are specialized bivalves that bore into the submerged wooden structures and mangrove trees, except genus Zachsia which is associated with seagrass rhizome. However, only one species has been described, located in Russian, Korean and Japanese waters and associated only with genera Phyllospadix and Zostera. Potentially wider distributions and even new species within this group have not been reported from another bioregion. Given the potential impacts on seagrass health, it is important to ascertain if the distribution of Zachsia extends across other climatic regions and seagrass species. In response, a study was conducted in a seagrass meadow at Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia). A total of 900 seagrass shoots were randomly excavated from a mixed seagrass bed of Enhalus acoroides, Cymodocea rotundata and C. serrulata. It was found that Zachsia sp. was present within the rhizomes of E. acoroides and C. rotundata, with an occupancy of around 12% occupancy (n=100) and 1% (n=400), respectively. A post-mortem examination indicated that the bivalve appeared to have ingested most of the rhizome’s internal tissues, leaving behind a calcareous hollow tube. Furthermore, this apparent infestation appeared to significantly reduce shoot growth by around 70% from 0.738±0.036 to 0.220±0.038 cm day-1. This finding may be significant, as it suggests, for the first time, that the rhizome parasitism is another possible vector in controlling seagrass growth and mortality. Further investigations are required to determine if this boring bivalve is indeed a new species, its distribution in other tropical areas and its role in the ecosystem

First record of jellyfish Anomalorhiza shawi Light, 1921 (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) and its associated organisms in Sabah, Malaysia

The present study describes a first record of the jellyfish Anomalorhiza shawi Light, 1921 from Malaysia. It belongs to the family Lychnorhizidae Haeckel, 1880, order Rhizostomeae Cuvier, 1799 (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa). The specimen was taken from Sepanggar Bay, Kota Kinabalu, off the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Jetty by manual collection with a bucket. The size of the bell was 430 mm in diameter with oral arms measuring 290 mm in length including the brown terminal clubs, which differentiates A. shawi from other congeners of the family. Anomalorhiza shawi belongs to the monotypic genus Anomalorhiza, and was first reported from the Philippines, with later reports from Hawaii and Thailand. In addition, A. shawi was found associated with other organisms such as the silver shad, Alepes vari (Cuvier, 1833) (Carangidae), and the crab Charybdis feriata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Portunidae). The association between jellyfish and other organisms have been discussed here. A checklist is provided for the current species of scyphozoan jellyfish reported from Malaysia

Length-weight relationship and relative condition factor of pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata martensii, cultured in the Tieshangang Bay of the Beibu Gulf, Guangxi Province, China

Tieshangang Bay in the Beibu Gulf, Guangxi of China, is a strategic location for pearl farming. Although water pollution has been reported in this bay but the general health of the pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata martensii,farmed there has never been assessed. The present study examined the condition of P. fucata martensii farmed in the Tieshangang Bay by analyzing its length-weight relationship (LWR) and relative condition factor (RCF). A total of 111 specimens were sampled for measuring their shell height and total weight for determining the LWR and RCF. The coefficient of correlation of the LWR was high (R2= 0.93), significant at 0.01 level. Negative allometric growth (b= 2.7048) was observed. However, P.fucata martensiiachieved the expected growth in terms of weight, as determined through the RCF (mean 1.13). Negative allometric growth is commonly reported on the wild Pinctadaspp. collected from different regions. Apparently, the water pollution in the Tieshangang Bay did not compromise the general health of the pearl oyster cultured there. Nevertheless, further study on the farm’s surrounding water quality and plankton availability is necessary to investigate the interaction between the growth of the oyster and its culture environment. In conclusion, the P. fucata martensiifarmed in the Tieshangang Bay was considered healthy and the bay is still suitable for pearl oyster farming

Coastal and estuarine blue carbon stocks in the greater Southeast Asia region: Seagrasses and mangroves per nation and sum of total

Climate Change solutions include CO2 extraction from atmosphere and water with burial by living habitats in sediment/soil. Nowhere on the planet are blue carbon plants which carry out massive carbon extraction and permanent burial more intensely concentrated than in SE Asia. For the first time we make a national and total inventory of data to date for “blue carbon” buried from mangroves and seagrass and delineate the constraints. For an area across Southeast Asia of approximately 12,000,000 km2, supporting mangrove forests (5,116,032 ha) and seagrass meadows (6,744,529 ha), we analyzed the region's current blue carbon stocks. This estimate was achieved by integrating the sum of estuarine in situ carbon stock measurements with the extent of mangroves and seagrass across each nation, then summed for the region. We found that mangroves ecosystems regionally supported the greater amount of organic carbon (3095.19Tg Corg in 1st meter) over that of seagrass (1683.97 Tg Corg in 1st meter), with corresponding stock densities ranging from 15 to 2205 Mg ha−1 and 31.3 to 2450 Mg ha−1 respectively, a likely underestimate for entire carbon including sediment depths. The largest carbon stocks are found within Indonesia, followed by the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Tropical China, Viet-Nam, and Cambodia. Compared to the blue carbon hotspot of tropical/subtropical Gulf of Mexico's total carbon stock (480.48 Tg Corg), Southeast Asia's greater mangrove–seagrass stock density appears a more intense Blue Carbon hotspot (4778.66 Tg Corg). All regional Southeast Asian nation states should assist in superior preservation and habitat restoration plus similar measures in the USA & Mexico for the Gulf of Mexico, as apparently these form two of the largest tropical carbon sinks within coastal waters. We hypothesize it is SE Asia's regionally unique oceanic–geologic conditions, placed squarely within the tropics, which are largely responsible for this blue carbon hotspot, that is, consistently high ambient light levels and year-long warm temperatures, together with consistently strong inflow of dissolved carbon dioxide and upwelling of nutrients across the shallow geological plates

New Records of Cubozoan and Scyphozoan Jellyfish from Sabah Waters, Malaysia

Jellyfish play a vital role in the ocean’s ecosystem, acting as a nursery for young fishes, crabs, and brittle stars, as well as a source of food for certain charismatic megafauna, such as sunfish and sea turtles. They also pose a threat to human activities, with jellyfish blooms negatively impacting fisheries, power generation, and tourism. However, very little information is available on the biodiversity of jellyfish within the waters of Borneo. Here, we present new records of jellyfish found along the coast of Sabah, Malaysia, located in northern Borneo, bordering the megadiverse region of the Coral Triangle. A total of six species belonging to two classes and six families hitherto not recorded to the state are reported, Chironex yamaguchii, Acromitus maculosus, Crambione mastigophora, Linuche aquila, Netrostoma sp., and Phyllorhiza punctata. Of these, two species (C. yamaguchii and L. aquila) are harmful to humans, with C. yamaguchii capable of causing human fatalities. Reports of harmful jellyfish are useful to the medical and tourism industry, as some of these species may inflict stings and adverse reactions to humans ranging from rashes and skin irritation to fatal envenomation. A checklist has also been provided for all collected jellyfish species from Sabah waters of Borneo, Malaysia

Enhancing Uptake of Nature-Based Solutions for Informing Coastal Sustainable Development Policy and Planning: A Malaysia Case Study

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have been advocated to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. The uptake of NbS differs regionally with some countries exhibiting greater uptake than others. The success of NbS also differs regionally with varying environmental conditions and social-ecological processes. In many regions, the body of knowledge, particularly around the efficacy of such efforts, remains fragmented. Having an “inventory” or “tool box” of regionally-trialed methods, outcomes and lessons learnt can improve the evidence base, inform adaptive management, and ultimately support the uptake of NbS. Using Malaysia as a case study, we provide a comprehensive overview of trialed and tested NbS efforts that used nature to address societal challenges in marine and coastal environments (here referring to mangroves, seagrass, coral reefs), and detailed these efforts according to their objectives, as well as their anticipated and actual outcomes. The NbS efforts were categorized according to the IUCN NbS approach typology and mapped to provide a spatial overview of IUCN NbS effort types. A total of 229 NbS efforts were collated, representing various levels of implementation success. From the assessment of these efforts, several key actions were identified as a way forward to enhance the uptake of Nature-based Solutions for informing coastal sustainable development policy and planning. These include increasing education, training, and knowledge sharing; rationalizing cooperation across jurisdictions, laws, and regulations; enhancing environmental monitoring; leveraging on existing policies; enabling collaboration and communication; and implementing sustainable finance instruments. These findings can be used to inform the improved application and uptake of NbS, globally.</jats:p

Seagrass conditioning in husbandry tanks and transplanting at Gaya Island, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Seagrass meadows are recognised as one of the productive coastal ecosystems. Unfortunately, unsustainable coastal development and climate change had caused seagrass degradation at the rate of 2-7% annual globally. Seagrass transplantation has been introduced since the 1970s as part of the solutions to facilitate restoration of degraded meadows. Seagrass meadows in Gaya Island, Kota Kinabalu had been declining since 2001 and this raises the urgency to restore its ecosystem. This study aims to (1) determine percent survival of different seagrass species ( Cymodocea rotundata, Cymodocea serrulata, Halodu/e uninervis and Halophila ova/is) and growth rate of Enhalus acoroides, (2) identify organisms associated with seagrass in husbandry tanks and transplanting site; (3) determine which method and species suitable for seagrass transplanting. The seagrass was collected from Gaya Bay and transferred to husbandry tanks (Marine Ecology Research Centre) at Malehorn Bay, Gaya Island. The percentage of seagrass survival was determined by the number of surviving planting units, while the growth rate by leaf elongation rate. Transplanting methods were tested at four different approaches: (i) sprig, (ii) plug, (iii) mono-and mixed-species, and (iv) different combination of mixed-species. Percent coverage of seagrass for each approach was recorded to determine the success of transplanting. Associated organisms in husbandry tanks and transplanting site were identified to the lowest taxon. Percentage of survival in husbandry was 83% and the growth rate of Enhalus was 0.69±0.04 cm day-1 • Mixed-species transplanting recorded high percent cover, which is ranging from SO to 100% compared to mono-species. Total of 16 and 30 species organisms identified associated with seagrass in husbandry tanks and transplanting site, respectively. This study concluded mixed-species transplanting, while C serrulata and H. ova/is are suitable for transplanting