Abundance, composition and succession of sessile subtidal assemblages in high wave-energy environments of Central Chile: Temporal and depth variation

Experimental Assessment of a Conducting Polymer (PEDOT) and Microbial Biofilms as Deterrents and Facilitators of Macro-Biofouling: Larval Settlement of the Barnacle Notobalanus flosculus (Darwin, 1854) from Central Chile

“…Several studies have shown that the settlement and fast growth of fouling species in the Humboldt Upwelling Ecosystem can reach very high biomass accumulation rates [34][35][36], among the highest reported in the world. Understanding biofouling dynamics and mechanisms to prevent it in this productive region is a major concern for the success of the MRE and aquaculture industries [36].…”

“…Several studies have shown that the settlement and fast growth of fouling species in the Humboldt Upwelling Ecosystem can reach very high biomass accumulation rates [34][35][36], among the highest reported in the world. Understanding biofouling dynamics and mechanisms to prevent it in this productive region is a major concern for the success of the MRE and aquaculture industries [36]. The ecological succession at wave exposed sites was characterised by initial settlement of microbial biofilms that were rapidly colonized by fast growing invertebrate larvae, leading to deterministic final stages of succession dominated by barnacles and tunicates of large biomass [36].…”

“…Understanding biofouling dynamics and mechanisms to prevent it in this productive region is a major concern for the success of the MRE and aquaculture industries [36]. The ecological succession at wave exposed sites was characterised by initial settlement of microbial biofilms that were rapidly colonized by fast growing invertebrate larvae, leading to deterministic final stages of succession dominated by barnacles and tunicates of large biomass [36]. Further experiments found that diverse materials, deployed above and below the thermocline, were colonized indistinctively by late successional species (barnacles and tunicates of large biomass) and that standard, copper-based antifouling paint was an effective deterrent after seven months of exposure [36].…”

“…The ecological succession at wave exposed sites was characterised by initial settlement of microbial biofilms that were rapidly colonized by fast growing invertebrate larvae, leading to deterministic final stages of succession dominated by barnacles and tunicates of large biomass [36]. Further experiments found that diverse materials, deployed above and below the thermocline, were colonized indistinctively by late successional species (barnacles and tunicates of large biomass) and that standard, copper-based antifouling paint was an effective deterrent after seven months of exposure [36]. Here we advance our understanding on biofouling dynamics by testing the antifouling efficiency of PEDOT with settling larvae of barnacle Notobalanus flosculus, an intertidal/shallow subtidal barnacle [37] found in abundance in biofouling communities [36,38].…”

“…Further experiments found that diverse materials, deployed above and below the thermocline, were colonized indistinctively by late successional species (barnacles and tunicates of large biomass) and that standard, copper-based antifouling paint was an effective deterrent after seven months of exposure [36]. Here we advance our understanding on biofouling dynamics by testing the antifouling efficiency of PEDOT with settling larvae of barnacle Notobalanus flosculus, an intertidal/shallow subtidal barnacle [37] found in abundance in biofouling communities [36,38]. Using multiple choice experiments, we tested PEDOT efficiency as a foulingresistant coating against barnacle settlement using both a positive control substratum (roughened acrylic plates) and a negative control (self-polishing Cu 2 O-based antifouling paint).…”