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Academic Journals Food Preference of the Sea Urchin Tripneustes Gratilla (Linnaeus, 1758) In Tropical Seagrass Habitats at Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

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dc.creator Lyimo, Thomas J.
dc.creator Mamboya, Florence
dc.creator Hamisi, Mariam
dc.creator Lugomela, Charles
dc.date 2016-06-18T18:12:01Z
dc.date 2016-06-18T18:12:01Z
dc.date 2010-12
dc.date.accessioned 2021-05-03T13:28:59Z
dc.date.available 2021-05-03T13:28:59Z
dc.identifier Lyimo, T.J., Mamboya, F., Hamisi, M. and Lugomela, C., 2011. Food preference of the sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla (Linnaeus, 1758) in tropical seagrass habitats at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment, 3(13), pp.415-423.
dc.identifier 2006 - 9847©2011
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/2571
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/2571
dc.description The sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla is the most well-known seagrass grazer in the Western Indian Ocean and a few cases of overgrazing have been reported. However, few studies on their feeding preference have been performed in this region. In this study, the food items in the gut contents of T. gratilla collected from seagrass beds and in a bare sediment in intertidal areas of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were analysed and compared to their availability in the surrounding environment. A total of 59 micro and macro-algae species were identified from the environment and the guts of T. gratilla, of which 48 were found in both gut contents and the environment. Gut contents of T. gratilla collected from mono specific seagrass habitats were dominated by the species in which they were found. In a mixture of four different seagrass species, Syringodium isoetifolium was preferred (with electivity indices (E*) of +0.36) while Cymodocea rotundata, Halodule uninervis and Thalassia hemprichii were slightly avoided (E* = -0.24, -0.22 and -0.22, respectively). We concluded that T. gratilla generally feeds on available seagrass species. However, in the presence of different types of seagrasses it showed preference to S. isoetifolium possibly due to presence of high epiphyte load which may increase its palatability.
dc.language en
dc.subject Tripneustes gratilla
dc.subject Seagrass
dc.subject Macroalga
dc.subject Microalgae
dc.subject Food preference
dc.subject Herbivory
dc.subject Dar es Salaam
dc.title Academic Journals Food Preference of the Sea Urchin Tripneustes Gratilla (Linnaeus, 1758) In Tropical Seagrass Habitats at Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
dc.type Journal Article, Peer Reviewed


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