Role of Environmental Factors on Gastropod Assemblages at Govater Bay- Sistan and Baluchestan Province

Gastropods have an important role in mangrove forest food web. This study was performed with the aim of ‎studying the gastropod assemblages in different seasons, tidal regions and distance from fishery harbor at Govater ‎Bay- Sistan and Baluchestan Province. Gastropods sampling was done in three transects perpendicular to shore line ‎extended to mangrove forests in three repetitions at the water adjacent, middle and land adjacent points. Separating ‎different intertidal regions, seasons and distance to fishing harbor was done by the one- way ANOSIM. The ‎SIMPER test was also done to define in which what species had more participation in similarity or dissimilarity of ‎gastropod assemblages in different regions or seasons. The ANOSIM results showed that gastropod assemblage in ‎different intertidal zones had significant difference (P<0.01). Gastropod assemblages in the water adjacent points ‎were different than land adjacent and middle points. This analysis didn’t show any significant different between ‎seasons and different distances from fishing harbor; therefore, it can be interpreted that in this region season ‎doesn’t effect on gastropod assemblages and low human interference in fishing harbor effluent hasn’t changed ‎gastropod assemblages. The SIMPER result show that Asseminea sp1 and Asseminea sp2 had more role in sepration ‎of two intertidal regions regarding to gastropod assemblages respectively with the average of 13.19 percent and ‎‎13.09 percent dissimilarity from 62.53 percent of the mean total dissimilarity‎.