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Abstract

We studied dynamics in the community assemblages of epifaunal invertebrates in a tropical estuary characterized by a strong gradient in salinity and pH (Brunei Darussalam). A total of 34 species (taxa) were identified along the physicochemical gradient of the Sungai Brunei estuary, and the mean abundance of all species combined was 182.28 ± 106.18 ind./100cm 2 . Number of species (taxa), diversity and abundance were greatest at the lower reaches (seaward, relatively with high pH and salinity and lowest at the middle reaches, but increased at the upper reaches of the estuary (landward, relatively with low pH and salinity). Multivariate analyses (MDS, ANOSIM, SIMPER and PERMANOVA) confirmed distinct communities for these three estuarine regions; the community shifted from a mussel-amphipod-dipteran dominated community to a mussel-dipteran community and then to a tanaid-polychaete community for the lower, middle and upper reaches, respectively.

Biography

Mohammad Belal Hossain, Assistant Professor, Noakhali Science and Technology University (Bangladesh) did his MSc in Estuarine and Coastal Science from the Hull University, UK. Currently he is a PhD candidate at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei, investigating the effects of acidification on macro-invertebrate community structure and function. He has a wide range of experiences in macrobenthic biodiversity assessment, conservation and management. To date, he has published more than 50 scientific articles in national and international peer-reviewed journals.