Ajirin @ Adrian Angkaji (2007) A study of the biology and ecology of the black sponge colonization in Semporna Islands. Colonization in Semporna Islands, and its impact on the reef ecosystem. Masters thesis, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
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Abstract
This study involved carrying out research into the biology and ecology of an invasive species of sponge called the black sponge from 1999 to 2004. The aim was to investigate its impact on the reef ecosystem and consider the implications of the infestation on reef management. The sponge was found to be locally common at depths between 2.0 - 20.0 m during surveys carried out in the initial phase (Phase I) of the Sempoma Islands Project, in Sabah, Malaysia. It occur as a thin film growing over rock, rubble and dead corals, leaving only isolated patches and certain dead corals uncovered. It is particularly common at Bodgaya West reef, Maiga South and Maiga West reefs. This phenomenon have not previously been described for the area and it was for this reason that a study on its biology and ecology was carried out. The research included identifying the black sponge, comparing results of Line Intercept Transect (LIT) method surveys and studying the spread of the sponge over different substrata. It was found that the black sponge can move over the substratum at rates of 1.8 - 1.9 mm2 per day. The fastest spread occurred where the sponge was growing over the dead part of live hard coral or other non-living substratum. The fastest spread rates recorded were over terracotta brick where the sponge grew at an average of 1.9 mm2 per day, and over dead coral where the sponge grew at 1.8 mm2 per day. However, the area, which was initially dominated by the black sponge species, has been reduced year-by-year from 61% in 1999 to 3% in 2004. The black sponge was eventually identified and confirmed as an undescribed species of Chondrosia by a sponge expert Dr. Michelle Kelly and Dame Professor Patricia R. Bergquist, Emeritas Professor, Department of Anatomy, School of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301-705.5 Biology (General) > QH540-549.5 Ecology |
| Department: | INSTITUTE > Borneo Marine Research Institute |
| Depositing User: | ADMIN ADMIN |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Nov 2010 14:44 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Nov 2017 15:07 |
| URI: | https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/343 |
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