PARTICLE TRACKING ANALYSIS BASED ON ECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF SEEDS OF ENHALUS ACOROIDES IN AMITORI BAY, IRIOMOTE ISLAND, JAPAN

Abstract

 This study aims at evaluation of a seed dispersal of Enhalus acoroides in Amitori Bay, Iriomote Island, Japan from the perspective of numerical analysis. An ecological investigation of Enhalus acoroides was conducted to provide input data for a numerical model. Reproduction of coastal currents in Amitori Bay was done using an ocean current model CCM. Characteristics of the seed dispersal of Enhalus acoroides were examined using particle tracking analysis. Results showed that the average value of migration distance of seeds was 266 m per 3 hours. It means that the seed dispersal of Enhalus acoroides is very weak.