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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...

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Main Authors: Tzuen Kiat, Yap, John Barry Gallagher, Ejria Saleh, Vienna Anastasia Admodisastro
Format: Article
Language:English
English
Published: Borneo Marine Research Institute 2018
Subjects:
Q Science (General)
QL Zoology
Online Access:https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/21966/1/The%20occurrence%20of%20boring%20bivalve.pdf
https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/21966/7/The%20occurrence%20of%20boring%20bivalve.FULLTEXT.pdf
https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/21966/
https://doi.org/10.51200/bjomsa.v2i0.1263
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spelling my.ums.eprints.219662023-06-19T06:48:44Z https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/21966/ The occurrence of boring bivalve (Genus: Zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia) and its possible ecological implications Tzuen Kiat, Yap John Barry Gallagher Ejria Saleh Vienna Anastasia Admodisastro Q Science (General) QL Zoology 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. Borneo Marine Research Institute 2018-12 Article PeerReviewed text en https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/21966/1/The%20occurrence%20of%20boring%20bivalve.pdf text en https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/21966/7/The%20occurrence%20of%20boring%20bivalve.FULLTEXT.pdf Tzuen Kiat, Yap and John Barry Gallagher and Ejria Saleh and Vienna Anastasia Admodisastro (2018) The occurrence of boring bivalve (Genus: Zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia) and its possible ecological implications. Borneo Journal of Marine Science and Aquaculture, 2. pp. 48-53. ISSN 2600-8637 https://doi.org/10.51200/bjomsa.v2i0.1263
institution Universiti Malaysia Sabah
building UMS Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaysia Sabah
content_source UMS Institutional Repository
url_provider http://eprints.ums.edu.my/
language English
English
topic Q Science (General)
QL Zoology
spellingShingle Q Science (General)
QL Zoology
Tzuen Kiat, Yap
John Barry Gallagher
Ejria Saleh
Vienna Anastasia Admodisastro
The occurrence of boring bivalve (Genus: Zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia) and its possible ecological implications
description 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.
format Article
author Tzuen Kiat, Yap
John Barry Gallagher
Ejria Saleh
Vienna Anastasia Admodisastro
author_facet Tzuen Kiat, Yap
John Barry Gallagher
Ejria Saleh
Vienna Anastasia Admodisastro
author_sort Tzuen Kiat, Yap
title The occurrence of boring bivalve (Genus: Zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia) and its possible ecological implications
title_short The occurrence of boring bivalve (Genus: Zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia) and its possible ecological implications
title_full The occurrence of boring bivalve (Genus: Zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia) and its possible ecological implications
title_fullStr The occurrence of boring bivalve (Genus: Zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia) and its possible ecological implications
title_full_unstemmed The occurrence of boring bivalve (Genus: Zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in Gaya Island (Sabah, Malaysia) and its possible ecological implications
title_sort occurrence of boring bivalve (genus: zachsia), in a tropical seagrass meadow in gaya island (sabah, malaysia) and its possible ecological implications
publisher Borneo Marine Research Institute
publishDate 2018
url https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/21966/1/The%20occurrence%20of%20boring%20bivalve.pdf
https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/21966/7/The%20occurrence%20of%20boring%20bivalve.FULLTEXT.pdf
https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/21966/
https://doi.org/10.51200/bjomsa.v2i0.1263
_version_ 1769843669317189632
score 13.211869

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