Asosiasi Bulu Babi (Diadema setosum) Pada Ekosistem Terumbu Karang Di Perairan Pulau Panjang Bangka Tengah

Abstract

Sea urchins are the one of key species in coral reef ecosystems. This research aims to analyze the density of sea urchins, analyze the relationship of with coral reef ecosystems. The research was conducted in June 2023 at Panjang Island waters. The Benthos Belt Transect method was used to collect sea urchin data and Underwater Photo Transect to coral reefs. The research results showed that the density of sea urchins was 7.457 individuals/ha in the Panjang Island water. The highest density of sea urchins was at station 3 with observations of 11.429 individuals/m². Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that sea urchins correlated with Lifecoral and Aquatic Physics-Chemical parameters which were divided into 4 groups. The relationship between sea urchins and coral reef ecosystems shows that the density of sea urchins in a coral reef ecosystem can determine the health condition of the coral reefs in that ecosystem