Assessment of the displacement of mangrove species Avicennia sp. on mud clam Polymesoda erosa (Solander, 1876) in planted Rhizosphora mangroves

Abstract

The mangrove ecosystem in the Philippines consists of 35-40 mangrove species. Mangroves use to grow on soft muddy substrate, commonly in estuaries where they can find sheltered and shallow coasts, and they can also grow in more salty waters on island shores and tidal flats The substrate is one of the most important aspects that determine mangrove distribution, and the macrofauna is one of the things which affect the substrate composition. In this study we will focus on the study of macro-invertebrate fauna (mollusc), and its ecological relationship with the mangrove species. We are going to study if the lack of plant biodiversity affect to the faunal biodiversity and the ecological quality of mangroves, and our hypothesis are that the monospecific reforestation of mangroves entails the loss of vegetal biodiversity, which is the ecological support of many other fauna and flora species. To find scientific data and references that endorse those statements, our main aim will be to statistically relate the distribution and abundance of plant and faunal biodiversity. In order to make that tangled task reachable we will focus on a few species. Those are the mangrove species Avicennia sp. and Rhyzophora sp. and the mud clam Polymesoda erosa (Solander, 1876) among other molluscs.