Community Structure of Seagrass in Awerange and Labuange Bays Barru Regency South Sulawesi

Awerange and Labuange Bays in Barru Regency, South Sulawesi consist of various\ud types of habitats. Mangroves, coral reef and seagrass beds can be found in these bays forming unique ecosystems. However, information about the ecosystems particularly related to seagrass community are poorly known. The aim of this research was to investigate the composition of seagrass species both in Awerange and Labuange Bays. Line transect method combined with plot were used to collect data of seagrass community structure. Samples were collected using quadrate (plot) with size of 50 cm x 50 cm. Density, frequency, coverage, importance value, standard of dominance ratio, diversity index, dispersion index and similarity index were calculated.. Results of the research showed that community structure of seagrass in Awerange Bay was different from Labuange Bay. Diversity of species was high in both bays. Thalassia hemprichii had the highest importance value in Awerange Bay, while Cymodocea serrulata had\ the highest importance value in Labuange Bay. Mixed seagrass community in Awerange and\ud Labuange Bays that dominated by Thalassia hemprichii were typically common and can be easily found in many parts of coastal areas in Indonesia