KOMPOSISI JENIS DAN KEPADATAN ASCIDIA Rhopalaea sp. DI PESISIR PANTAI KINAMANG, MALALAYANG DUA, TELUK MANADO

Abstract

Ascidian is one of the marine biotas with considerable potential in Indonesian waters but has not received serious attention. Therefore, a little research on this species is good to do with the aim of knowing the species composition and density of Rhopalaea sp. in Manado Bay waters with different depths. The purpose of this study was to analyze the Ascidian index to determine the species composition and density of Ascidian Rhopalaea sp. at different depths in Manado Bay waters, in this case the Kinamang coastal waters, Malalayang Dua. This research was carried out for 5 (five) months starting from April to August 2022. The tools and materials used in this study were: Global Positioning System (GPS), SCUBA set, roll meter, waterproof paper, writing utensils, camera, identification books, Horiba, laptop, Microsoft excel software and Ascidian. Data analysis was conducted to determine the composition and density of Ascidia Rhopalaea sp. The results obtained are Ascidia Rhopalaea sp. found there are 2 types, namely Rhopalaea and Rhopalaea crassa. After analyzing the data, Ascidian species R. crassa had higher composition and density values than Rhopalaea species.

Keywords: Ascidian, Species Composition, Density, Manado Bay