Ten (10) new species are found in a study conducted by Resureccion Bernadette Imbat of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Sustainable Development in Mariano Marcos State University that examined variations in plankton diversity in relation to time of day and moon phases in mangrove areas of Burgos and Pasuquin in Ilocos Norte.
The study called Plankton Diversity Across Time of Day and Moon Phases in Mangrove Ecosystems looking at the diversity of planktons in selected coastal and riverine mangrove ecosystems of Ilocos Norte, Philippines, identified diverse phytoplankton and zooplankton communities in both mangrove ecosystems, with diatoms and copepods among the prominent groups observed. It noted that diversity was generally higher during daytime, whereas zooplankton diversity showed more variable patterns between sampling periods. Across moon phases, phytoplankton abundance was relatively higher during the Last Quarter and New Moon, while higher diversity values were observed during the First Quarter and Full Moon.
Mangrove ecosystems are widely known as productive and ecologically significant coastal habitats. Situated at the interface between land and sea, these intertidal forests are important for environmental stability and human well-being serving in shoreline protection against storm surges and coastal erosion, nutrient cycling that supports primary productivity, and the provision of nursery and feeding grounds for various marine organisms, including fish and crustaceans. Philippine coastal communities depend on marine resources, making mangrove ecosystems essential to local livelihoods. Their complex root systems contribute to sediment stabilization, pollutant retention, and biogeochemicalprocesses that help maintain the ecological condition of adjacent ecosystems such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.
The mangrove ecosystems of Pasuquin and Burgos in Ilocos Norte were the sites in the examination of potential variations in plankton diversity in
relation to time of day and moon phases. Pasuquin mangrove is primarily exposed to saline marine conditions and tidal influence,
whereas the riverine mangrove ecosystem in Burgos is influenced by freshwater
inputs, varying salinity conditions, and terrestrial runoff.
The study that aimed to improve understanding of plankton community dynamics in mangrove ecosystems and provide baseline information useful for ecological assessment and management unintentionally found 10 species that still need to be identified. If confirmed to be new, these species will be partially named after their discoverer.
