Correlation of some water quality parameters and Pb in sediment to gastropod diversity in Ambon Island Waters.

The coastal waters of Ambon Island have quite diverse ecosystems that allow for the presence of various organisms, one of which is gastropods. This study aimed to analyze the correlation of water parameters and Pb in sediment with the diversity of gastropods. The research was carried out by observing the density, water quality parameters, and Pb metal in the sediments. Water parameters were measured in situ and analyzed in the laboratory. The distribution of gastropods was analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). At the same time, correlation analysis was performed using the Pearson correlation approach in SPSS v.16. The results showed that the gastropods with the highest density in the waters of Ambon Island were Terebralia sulcata, Hebra corticata, and Nerita patula. While the species with the lowest density value were Nassarius olivaceus, Polinices didyma, Lunella cinerea, Conus eburneus, Cypraea isabella, Vexillum plicarium, and Columbella scripta. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index ranged from 1.253–2.622, and the diversity index ranged from 0.083–0.207. It was included in the low category because of the disturbance of water pollution and Pb metal in the sediments. Meanwhile, the dominance index ranged from 0.098 to 0.511, indicating species dominance at several observation stations. The waters' physical-chemical parameters strongly correlating with gastropod diversity are DO and Pb, with respective correlation values of r = 0.656 and r = –0.785. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]