COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF GORGONIAN ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY AMONG ISLANDS WITH DIFFERENT ANTHROPOGENIC STRESSORS IN KARIMUNJAWA MARINE NATIONAL PARK, JAVA SEA.

Gorgonians are a prominent part of coral reef fauna that changes in their abundance and diversity due to environmental changes. The present study was carried out to assess the relative abundance and diversity of gorgonian among islands with different anthropogenic stressors. The islands namely Burung, Geleang, Sambangan, and Seruni are protected areas of bird habitat, tourism area, mariculture activity, and empty, uninhabited islands, respectively. A rapid assessment of gorgonian genera was conducted by using the Roving Diver Visual Method on 4-11 March 2021. The Shannon diversity index, species richness, and evenness were computed to see the variation in the gorgonian community among islands. Results of the present study recorded 167 individuals representing 12 genera of gorgonian, which fall into 5 families namely, Ellisellidae, Plexauridae, Melithaeidae, Acanthogorgiidae and, Isididae. Of the four islands, abundance and species richness were not significantly different (F_-value: 4.52; p: 0.09 >0.05). Statistically, there was also no significant difference among gorgonian genera (F_-value: 1.01; p: 0.08 >0.05). However, the species diversity and abundance on the islands with low disturbance from various anthropogenic activities tended to increase. Monitoring is needed periodically to screen the condition of the gorgonian fauna. This study provides basic information for future monitoring due to the increasing eutrophication rate and tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]