Temporal Variation in Rocky Intertidal Gastropods of the Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf

Temporal Variation in Rocky Intertidal Gastropods of the Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf

Journal of the Persian Gulf (Marine Science)/Vol. 4/No. 13/September 2013/10/9-18 Temporal Variation in Rocky Intertidal Gastropods of the Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf Amini Yekta, Fatemeh1*; Kiabi, Bahram2; Ashja Ardalan, Aria3; Shokri, Mohammadreza 1- Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science (INIOAS), Tehran, IR Iran 2- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University G.C.,Tehran, IR Iran 3- Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IR Iran Received: April 2012 Accepted: July 2012 © 2013 Journal of the Persian Gulf. All rights reserved. Abstract Gastropod assemblages were investigated along intertidal rocky shore in the Qeshm Island in the northern Persian Gulf. Monthly sampling was undertaken from May 2007 to April 2008. Environmental factors were also measured in each site. A total of 28 gastropod taxa belonging to 15 families were identified and Cerithiidae was the most abundant family and Cerithium caeruleum was the most abundant species (34.77%). Muricidae with 5 species were the most diverse group followed by Cerithiidae and Cypraeidae each with 4 species. Kruskal-Wallis test yielded no significant differences in gastropod assemblages among months and also different seasons (P>0.05). The analysis of SIMPER showed that spring and autumn had the most dissimilarity among seasons and Clypeomorus bifasciatus was the species of gastropods contributing most to the dissimilarities among seasons (37.54%). December showed the highest value of Shanon-Wiener (2.15) and Simpson (0.85) indices. Lack of significant temporal variation in gastropod assemblages during sampling months suggested that intensity of sampling in future studies could be reduced to seasonal intervals in similar environmental conditions. Where intertidal surveys are restricted by time,and resources such as, personnel and finance. Keywords: Gastropoda, Temporal variation, Intertidal zones, Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf. 1. Introduction Gulf is located in the subtropical region in northwest of the Indian Ocean, and is exposed to The benthic fauna have seasonal and spatial the harsh conditions due to being surrounded by variations. Spatial variability often is described by dried lands and limited exchange of water with changes in substrates which may be influenced by Indian Ocean through the Strait of Hormuz. There other factors such as physical and chemical are actually two seasons in the Persian Gulf area, (salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen) and interaction short cold spring and long warm summer (Alijani, with other organisms (Dittmann, 1998; Cranmer et 1998; Akbari & Masoudian, 2009), al., 2003; Mooraki et al., 2009). Temporal variation However, for biologic and ecologic studies, it is in benthic community is mostly derived by changes preferred to consider 4 seasons for researches, in temperature, which in turn affect salinity, since these kinds of categories are based on dissolved oxygen and pH of sea water. The Persian geographical reasons. There are noticeable taxonomic studies done on offshore benthic 1* Email: [email protected] gastropod of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman 9 Amini Yekta et al. / Temporal Variation in Rocky Intertidal Gastropods of the Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf by Melvill (1898; 1928), Smythe (1972; 1975; 1979), Purser (1973), Bosch and Bosch (1982; 1989) and Glayzer et al. (1984). Furthermore, some Saudi Arabian gastropod fauna of the Persian Gulf have been reported by Biggs and Grantier (1960), Basson et al. (1977), Sharabati (1981), Smythe (1982), MacCain (1984), Jones (1986), Bosch et al. (1995) and Hasan (1996) (cited in Hasan, 1996). Other studies on gastropods identification in Iran include, Tajallipour (1973) reported on 216 mollusc species from Iranian Fig. 1: Sampling location, Qeshm Island coasts of the Persian Gulf, Rezai Marnani (1995) reported on distribution of mollusc in some island 2.2. Field Sampling of the Persian Gulf was studied and Hosseinzadeh et al. (2001) listed some species of the Iranian Stratified random sampling was undertaken coasts of the Persian Gulf in an Atlas. Ghiasnejad monthly from May 2007 to April 2008 along 3 et al. (2008) studied the abundance of rocky transects perpendicular to the sea in each site. gastropods of southern Qeshm Island and Asgari et September sampling was not taken due to the al. (2012) reported a list of dominant crustacean technical problems. Each transect was divided to three and gastropod species particularly from Qeshm parts and samples were collected by randomly placing Island. Qeshm Island is the largest island of the three 0.25 m2 quadrates (Pringle, 1984) in each part (9 Persian Gulf, with 120 km length and up to 30 km replicates in each transect). Gastropod samples were width, situated in the western part of the Strait of collected from on or under the rocks and specimens Hormuz. Tidal range in coasts of Qeshm Island is inhabited in crevices were considered as well. In 2.5 m (Höpner et al., 2000). The southern coasts of addition, environmental factors such as temperature, Qeshm Island are dominated by rocky and sandy pH and salinity were also measured in each sampling shores. Gastropod communities were studied in site. Samples were fixed in 10% neutralized formalin. rocky shores of Qeshm Island to investigate the In the laboratory, samples were identified to the differences in abundance and composition of the species level and were counted. The most used gastropod species among different months of a reference for identification was Bosch et al., 1995. year. Identification of specimens were then verified by Moolenbeek in Zoological Museum, University of 2. Materials and Methods Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Species scientific names were updated based on World Register of Marine 2.1. Study Area Species (WoRMS: http://www.marinespecies.org/) variation in investigated using the similarities Two intertidal rocky sites (26°50´ N, 56°08´E) procedure– SIMPER routine– in PRIMER 5 (Clarke located approximately 300 m apart, were sampled in and Warwick, 1994). southern coastal zone of the Qeshm Island, the northern Persian Gulf, IR Iran (Figure 1). Sampling 2.3. Data Analysis locations were not exposed to any particular anthropogenic pollutant. Differences in the gastropods abundance in 10 Journal of the Persian Gulf (Marine Science)/Vol. 4/No. 13/September 2013/10/9-18 different months were tested by using non-parametric correlation between environmental factors and Kruskal-Wallis test (SPSS program version 16) as gastropod composition and abundance was assessed. normality could not be obtained by transformation. The species of gastropods contributed most to the 3. Results dissimilarities among seasons, and the two seasons which were the most dissimilar among seasons, were In total, 4762 specimens were collected during investigated using the similarities procedure– sampling months. Twenty eight gastropod taxa SIMPER routine– in PRIMER 5 (Clarke and belonging to 15 families were identified (Table 1, Warwick, 1994). Species diversity was evaluated with Plates 1 & 2). Cerithiidae was the most abundant Shannon–Wiener, Simpson and Margalef’s diversity family (45.25%) and Cerithium caeruleum was the indices as well as Pielou’s index of evenness. To most abundant species (34.77%). Muricidae with 5 identify the environmental factors that best explained species was the most diverse group followed by the temporal variation in gastropod assemblages, Cerithiidae and Cypraeidae each with 4 taxa. Table 1. Average abundance of gastropod species per square meter in sampling months Species May June July Aug Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr Trochidae Euchelus asper (Gmelin, 1791) 2.00 1.33 0.66 0.66 0 0 0 3.33 0.66 0 0 Turbinidae Lunella coronata (Gmelin, 1791) 8.00 2.00 0 1.33 2.66 3.33 2.66 1.33 2.00 0.66 1.33 Neritidae Nerita albicilla Linnaeus, 1758 0 0.66 0 0.66 0 1.33 4.66 0 1.33 0.66 0 Planaxidae Planaxis sulcatus Born, 1778 0 0.66 0 0 0.66 0 0.66 0 0.66 0 0 Cerithiidae Cerithium caeruleum Sowerby, 134.00 201.30 142.00 154.60 88.00 62.60 42.60 121.30 63.30 54.00 38.60 1855 Clypeomorus bifasciatus 1.33 4.66 0 0 0.66 0.66 0 0.66 0.66 0 0 bifasciatus Sowerby, 1855 Clypeomorus bifasciatus 202.00 368 40.60 39.30 76.60 16.00 40.60 18.00 30.00 50.00 62.60 (Sowerby, 1855) Clypeomorus isselii 0 0 4.66 0 0 0 0 2.66 0.66 0 0.66 (Pagenstecher, 1877) Vanikoridae Vanikoro gueriniana (Recluz, 0 0 0 0 0.66 0 0 0 0 0 0 1844) Vanikoro sp. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.66 0 0 0 0 Cypraeidae Melicerona feline (Gmelin, 1791) 0 0 0.66 0 0.66 0 2.00 0 0 0 0 Mauritia grayana Schilder, 1930 0 0 0.66 0 0.66 0 2.00 2.66 2 0.66 2.00 Erosaria nebrites (Melvill, 1888) 0 0 0 0 0 1.33 0 0 0 0 0 Erosaria turdus winckworthi 0 0 0 0 0 0.66 0 0.66 0 0 0.66 (Lamark, 1810) Muricidae Semiricinula cf konkanensis 3.33 1.33 16.00 9.33 12.60 18.00 19.30 12.60 22.00 11.30 18.00 (Melvill, 1893) Morula anaxares (Kiener, 1835) 24.00 50.60 21.30 28.00 24.00 19.30 18.60 21.30 12.60 16.00 10.00 Morula granulata (Duclose, 10.60 5.33 14.60 14.00 8.66 7.33 13.30 14.60 16.00 12.60 12.00 1832) Thalessa savignyi (Deshayes, 4.66 9.33 9.33 2.00 1.33 2.66 0 9.33 4.00 4.00 0 1844) Thais sp. 0.66 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 4.66 Buccinidae Engina mendicaria (Linnaeus, 0 0 1.33 2.66 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1758) Columbellidae Anachis fauroti (Jousseaume, 10.60 6.66 71.30 16.60 58.00 10.60 0 37.30 36.00 13.30 0 1888) Nassariidae Nassarius deshayesianus (Issel, 22.00 6.66 15.30 14.00 11.30 5.33 30.60 18.00 16.00 3.33 16.00 1866) Mitridae Mitra litterata Lamark, 1811 0 0 0 0 0 0 11.30 0.66 0 0.66 12.00 Conidae Conus coronatus Gmelin, 1791 0 0 1.33 0 4.66 0 0 1.33 0.66 1.33 0 Conus flavidus Lamark, 1810 0 0 0 0 0 0.66 0 0.66 0 0 0.66 Conus pennaseus 0 0 0.66 0 0.66 0 1.33 0 0 0.66 0 quasimagnificus Da Motta, 1982 Architectonicidae Heliacus variegatus (Gmelin, 0.66 1.33 0 0 0 0 0 0.66 0 0 0 1791) Onchidiidae Onchidium peronii Cuvier, 1804 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0.66 0.66 0 Average 15.13 23.56 12.15 10.11 10.49 5.35 6.94 9.54 7.47 6.06 6.40 Standard Error 8.43 14.69 5.64 5.65 4.43 2.38 2.34 4.48 2.77 2.61 2.64 11 Amini Yekta et al.

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