Ronnel T. Brobo and Buenaflor D. Jimenez
Barangay Libay is one of the six coastal barangay of Sibutad, an island municipality of Zamboanga del Norte and the center of the small scale gold mining operation in Murcelagos Bay.
A total of thirty sediment cores samples were collected where the seagrass beds are found; six for mercury analysis and twelve for grain size. The total mercury (tHg) in water and sediment were analyzed with Bacharach/Coleman MAS-50D Mecury Analyzer. The density and relative abundance of meiofauna were determined and correlated with the concentrations of mercury.
A total of 21 genera were identified from sediment cores representing three major groups: foraminifera, ostracoda and nematodes. The meiofauna exhibited various tolerances with tHg. The foraminifera Elphidium is present in all stations and obtained the highest density (721 per 10cm2) and abundance (25.67%). The nematode Subanguina has the lowest density (7 per 10cm2) and abundance (0.25%). Elphidium dominates in areas with high concentrations of mercury while Subanguina in low concentrations. Genus Peneroplis have exhibited irregular protrusions and expansion of the test to as much as half of the test.
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