L. Kasmini, N.I. Batubara, A.S. Batubara
Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) are among the primary economic resources for coastal communities, while have a positive impact on the economies of fisherman families that have lower to middle incomes. This research aims to determine the population structure of Crassostrea gigas that are distributed in the north-eastern waters of Aceh Province, Indonesia. Sampling occurred in 9 areas along the northeastern coast of Aceh Province, with 50 oysters gathered from each region. The total length, width, and height of the morphometric characteristics were measured using a digital caliper with an error margin of 0.01 mm. The morphometric data underwent statistical analysis, encompassing ANOVA, discriminant analysis, and closest neighbor analysis. Results revealed that all the morphometric characters of the oysters at the 9 sampling locations were significantly different (p < 0.05). The results of discriminant and nearest neighbor analysis showed two different populations of C. gigas in Aceh. Whereas one population of C. gigas was only found in Banda Aceh, the other one population could be found in 8 other regencies. Results of this population structure analysis reflect the environmental conditions of the sampling locations as well as the evolution patterns of C. gigas in Aceh Province. This study revealed that there are several populations of C. gigas in Aceh Province which indicate morphological variations related to the species’ evolutionary process. © 2025 Instituto Internacional de Ecologia. All rights reserved.
Unversitas Bina Bangsa Getsempena – UBBG, Department of Primary School Teacher Education, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Institut Pertanian Bogor – IPB University, Graduate Studies of Natural Resources and Environmental Management Science, Bogor, Indonesia; Universitas Negeri Medan – UNIMED, Department of Biology, Medan, Indonesia
