Hubungan Kepadatan Echinodermata Terhadap Tutupan Lamun di Kawasan Pantai Sanur, Kota Denpasar

Abstract

Echinoderms are biota that live in the seagrass ecosystem and act as one of the components in the food chain, serving as detritus eaters and macrofauna. This research aimed to analyze the density of Echinoderms, seagrass cover, and the relationship between Echinodermata density and seagrass cover in the Sanur Coast Area. The location determination was done by purposive sampling at 3 stations, namely areas with rich/healthy seagrass beds, less rich/less healthy, and less rich/less healthy approaching poor/bad. The method used is a line transect and a quadrat sized 1x1 meter, directly identifying Echinodermata species and seagrass types. The relationship between Echinoderm density and seagrass cover was analyzed using Spearman's rho with SPSS software. The research results showed the density of Echinoderm in the Sanur area was 5.36 ind/m². The number of species found was 8 species from 4 classes of Echinoderm. The species with the highest density was Synapta maculata (3.32 ind/m²), while Echinothrix calamaris and Culcita schmideliana had the lowest density (0.02 ind/m²).  The community structure (Diversity Index (Hˈ) = 0.90; Evenness (E) = 0.43; Dominance (C) = 0.54) indicates a condition that is relatively stable but tending toward instability. The highest seagrass cover percentage was recorded at Sindhu Beach (71.42%) and the lowest at Mertasari Beach (35.80%). Rank Spearman analysis showed a very strong relationship between Echinoderm density and seagrass cover (r = 0.94), indicating that the high density of Echinoderm is in line with the increase in seagrass cover