Global Changes Alter the Successions of Early Colonizers of Benthic Surfaces

Abstract

The successions of benthic communities over time are strongly influenced by the first colonizers, because surface associations are facilitated by modifications to the adhesive properties promoted by primary colonizers, such as bacteria, protozoans, diatoms, algal propagules, spores, and invertebrate larvae. Bacteria are often the first colonizers on marine submerged surfaces, both organic (e.g., algae, seagrasses and invertebrates) and inorganic. However, they are promptly followed by diatoms and other microorganisms. Consequently, diatoms may represent key elements in the determination of the colonization patterns, although the development of epiphytic communities is a dynamic process influenced by several factors, including nutrient availability, the ability to synthesize and secrete extracellular material, the competition among species and the influence of grazers on individual colonizers. The process may be drastically impacted by global warming and ocean acidification due to the increasing atmospheric levels of CO2. The impact of such global stressors on benthic ecosystems, especially on the primary microphytobenthic assemblages, is still poorly investigated, and may have deleterious consequences for the benthic successions. In this review, we analyze the adhesion patterns of marine microorganisms according to their surface features and the effects of global changes on critical pioneer colonizers, such as the benthic diatoms. The results are remarkable, as they highlight emergent concerns in ecosystem conservation and the prediction of benthic communities.

Ecological Effect of Differently Treated Wooden Materials on Microalgal Biofilm Formation in the Grado Lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea)

“…In the past, macrofouling was controlled by painting ship hulls and man-made structures with toxic compounds such as tributyltin (TBT). At present, in most parts of the world, TBT and its derivatives can no longer be used due to their higher polluting power and strong impacts on benthic and planktonic organisms [ 17 ]. After the banning of TBT in the late 1980s in France, and from 2003 in the rest of Europe, Cu-based antifouling paints have progressively substituted for TBT-based paints [ 18 ] and are still being used nowadays.…”