UCB Moorea Class: Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands

Studies examining benthic macrofauna of estuaries are becoming more prevalent in the scientific community but none have yet been conducted on the island of Moorea, French Polynesia. The present field study surveyed four estuaries on the island: the Papeahi, Paopao, Urufara and Vaihana Rivers. Organisms were collected and abiotic factors (including sediment type, depth, temperature, water flow, salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen) were measured to find correlations between species diversity and species abundances and the physical conditions that surround them. Abundance of taxa varied considerably among estuaries. Correlations were found between diversity and temperature and between gastropod abundance and depth/salinity. Many correlations reported in previous studies were absent; however this is most likely due to low abundances, small sample sizes and time constraints.