Kerapatan dan Kelulushidupan pada Rekrutmen Karang Pocillopora damicornis (Density and Survivorship on the Recruitment of the brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis)

Abstract

Studi rekrutmen karang Pocillopora damicornis telah dilakukan dengan mengamati kerapatan juvenil pada substrat penempelan di dataran terumbu Pulau Panjang, Jepara, Jawa Tengah. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa rekrutmen terjadi sepanjang tahun dan tertinggi pada periode Agustus-Oktober. Laju rekrutmen karang di belakang terumbu (back reef) pada sisi bawah angin (selatan) lebih tinggi daripada di sisi atas angin (utara) Pulau Panjang, tampaknya hal ini berkorelasi dengan kerapatan populasi karang dewasanya. Kerapatan juvenil karang tertinggi pada substrat batu alam terjadi pada sisi bawah permukaan substrat, akan tetapi pertumbuhan juvenil karang tertinggi ditemukan di sisi atas permukaan substrat. Hal ini mengindikasikan bahwa kerapatan juvenil karang berhubungan dengan kelulusan hidup juvenil karang. Semakin tinggi kerapatan juvenil karang P. damicornis maka semakin rendah kelulusan hidup juvenil karang karena terjadinya peningkatan persaingan sesama juvenil karang dan akibat kekurangan cahaya.

Kata kunci: rekrutmen, kerapatan, kelulushidupan, karang Pocillopora damicornis

Recruitment of the brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis was studied by observing the juvenile density on the settlement plate substrate in reef flat of Panjang Island, Jepara, Central Java. The results show that recruitment occurs throughout the year and the highest in the period from August to October. The rate of recruitment of coral reefs in back reef on the leeward (south) is higher than on the windward (north) of the island, it seems to be correlated with population density of adult corals. The highest density of juvenile corals on natural substrata occurs on the lower side surface of the substrate, but the highest growth of juvenile are found on the upper side surface of the substrate. This indicates that the density of juvenile corals associated with the survival of juvenile corals. The higher density of juvenile corals P. damicornis, the lower the survival of juvenile corals due to an increase in competition among juvenile corals and due to lack of light.

Keywords: recruitment, density, survivorship, coral Pocillopora damicornis