Abstract:
Total lipid, lipid composition and fatty acid composition 1n the tissues, feces and
sediment of Telescopium telescopium and Brotia binodasa collected from Setiu
Wetland during dry season were used to investigated the food sources and diet of
these gastropoda. In both months, the mangrove (detritus) in all samples was high as
indicated by the mean percentage of PUFAs, 24.96% to 44.73% of total fatty acid.
The high contribution of these markers in the gastropoda indicates that the present and
important of photosynthesis based food supply mainly was mangrove (detritus). The
occurrences of MUFAs with high percentage, which is 22.33% to 38.39% of total
fatty acid content in the tissues, feces and sediment of the gastropoda was due o
bacteria sources. This result indicates that gastropoda diet is also dependent on the
attached bacteria on the partially decomposed leaf detritus suspended at the sediment.
The mean percentage of dinoflagellate markers (Docosahexaenoic acids (22:6w3)
together with 22:5w3, and I 8:4w3) in all samples gastropoda during both month
ranged from 2.68% to 9.8%. This indicates that the gastropoda diet also dependent on
dinoflagellate sources. The relatives contribution by diatom (20:5w3 and 16: I w7)
markers, which was 0.93% to 4.92% respectively, suggesting considerable diatom
sources in the diet of these gastropoda. Quantitative investigation of gut content
analysis also indicates that these gastropoda used detritus as its main dietary
component, supplemented by diatom and dinoflagellate. The mean percentage of
gastropoda markers did not differ significantly between August and October. Its
shows that gastropoda assimilate the same food sources through this two month for
their diet.
