Macrofaunal Assemblages of Littoral Seagrass Communities.

Abstract

A comparison of macrofauna found in vegetated seagrass areas and unvegetated areas was undertaken in Nyali Beach, Kenya. This study was aimed at establishing the importance of seagrasses to the Kenyan marine environment. Sampling was conducted during the N.E. and S.E. monsoon periods. The trends show that the vegetated areas had a slightly higher abundance of macrofauna compared to the unvegetated areas. Furthermore, the areas with a mixed vegetation cover supported a higher number of macrofauna during the N.E monsoon. The overall abundance of macrofauna was also found to be higher during the N.E. monsoon period. This paper discusses the importance of different seagrasses in the maintenance of coastal biodiversity.