Morphology Characteristic and Growth of Halophila ovalis at some coastal area in Bintan Island

Halophila ovalis is one of the pioneer seagrass species. The physico-chemical factors of the waters greatly influence the life processes of the seagrass. This study aims to compare the morphometric characteristics and growth of H.ovalis seagrass on water quality in several coastal areas in Bintan Island. Observation of morphometric characteristics includes measurement of rhizome diameter, leaf length, leaf width, root length, internode length, number of leaves. Observation of growth rate was done by using the marking method. Observations of the growth rate were carried out twice, namely on the 14th and 28th days. The results showed that the H.ovalis type of seagrass found at Dompak Station had greater morphological characters than other stations. The condition of the bottom substrate is related to the morphological characters of the seagrass. The growth pattern of the seagrass leaves for one month of observation has a decline in growth trend. The rhizome growth pattern at all observation stations has an increasing trend. The results of the principal component analysis and correspondence analysis show that environmental parameters such as substrate composition and nutrient concentration have a role in the morphological structure and growth of H.ovalis .