Biodiversity index of corals in the shallow reefs of Brgy. Bitaug, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the biodiversity index of shallow reef forming corals in Bitaug, Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur in terms of physicochemical parameters of water, taxonomic classification and biodiversity of the observed species in the site. Corals belong to Kingdom Animalia and Phylum Cnidaria which include three classes: Hydrozoa, Schypozoa, and Anthozoa. In this study, the researchers used qualitative and quantitative approach. The species were observed by number as well as the quality of the water. Based on the result using a PAST software, the research team concluded that transect 3 was the transect which had the most diverse corals species found in the three-sampling sites in terms of the number of species, followed by transect two and then transect one. Corals in the shallow reefs of Bitaug, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur were more diverse in the shallow part of the seawater than in the deep seawater. Furthermore, the research team concluded that, these corals were more tolerant to the stored sediments, pH, temperature and chemicals from industrial factories located on the nearby seashore of the sampling site.