Abstract:Settlement of the fouling community is generally influenced by the physical, chemical and biological properties of the settling surface. The colour of the substratum may also exert an influence on larval settlement. In the present study, the influence of surface colour on the recruitment of fouling communities was investigated by suspending acrylic panels (red, green, blue, white and yellow) in coastal waters. Results showed that the colour of the substratum plays an important role in the recruitment of sessil… Show more
“…5). These results are in accordance with previous studies (Hurley 1973; Satheesh and Wesley 2010; Dobretsov et al 2013) in which barnacles settled most abundantly on dark surfaces (blue, red, black). Significantly lower densities of Balanus improvisus were found on panels on which the algae Ulva and Cladophora were present ( p = 0.036 and 0.049, respectively), indicating possible competition for space between these species.Fig.…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 93%
“…Similar observations were made by Satheesh and Wesley (2010) in India, where the highest biofouling during the summer season was on blue and red panels, compared to white or yellow ones. Swain et al (2006) also showed the importance of surface colour in short-term testing of antifouling paints, with black panels being the most heavily fouled.…”
The release of harmful metals from antifouling paints to water bodies is a well-known problem. In this study, we measured both the amount of biofouling growth on leisure boats during one season as well as the concentration of metals accumulated by the biofouling matrix. Furthermore, the efficiency of antifouling paints and mechanical boat cleaning as well as the effect of hull colour on biofouling were evaluated. Unlike paint residues, biofouling waste has never been regarded as a source of metal contamination and has previously been neglected in the scientific literature. Our results revealed that the biofouling waste contained very high concentrations of metals, up to 28,000 mg copper/kg dw and 171,000 mg zinc/kg dw, which exceeds the guidance values for least sensitive land use in Sweden by factors of 140 and 340, respectively. This observation is important because the contaminated biofouling waste is commonly disposed of in boatyard soils at the end of each season, thus increasing the levels of metal pollution. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the amount of biofouling if the boats were coated with copper or zinc containing paints or no paint at all, indicating that biocide paints might not be necessary in lowsalinity areas such as the Stockholm archipelago. For boats that were not painted at all during the season, those washed on boat washers (mechanically) had on average half of the amount of biofouling compared to boats that were not cleaned mechanically. The results of the study indicate the importance of proper management of biofouling waste as well as the use of more environmentally friendly removal methods for biofouling such as boat washers.
“…5). These results are in accordance with previous studies (Hurley 1973; Satheesh and Wesley 2010; Dobretsov et al 2013) in which barnacles settled most abundantly on dark surfaces (blue, red, black). Significantly lower densities of Balanus improvisus were found on panels on which the algae Ulva and Cladophora were present ( p = 0.036 and 0.049, respectively), indicating possible competition for space between these species.Fig.…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 93%
“…Similar observations were made by Satheesh and Wesley (2010) in India, where the highest biofouling during the summer season was on blue and red panels, compared to white or yellow ones. Swain et al (2006) also showed the importance of surface colour in short-term testing of antifouling paints, with black panels being the most heavily fouled.…”
The release of harmful metals from antifouling paints to water bodies is a well-known problem. In this study, we measured both the amount of biofouling growth on leisure boats during one season as well as the concentration of metals accumulated by the biofouling matrix. Furthermore, the efficiency of antifouling paints and mechanical boat cleaning as well as the effect of hull colour on biofouling were evaluated. Unlike paint residues, biofouling waste has never been regarded as a source of metal contamination and has previously been neglected in the scientific literature. Our results revealed that the biofouling waste contained very high concentrations of metals, up to 28,000 mg copper/kg dw and 171,000 mg zinc/kg dw, which exceeds the guidance values for least sensitive land use in Sweden by factors of 140 and 340, respectively. This observation is important because the contaminated biofouling waste is commonly disposed of in boatyard soils at the end of each season, thus increasing the levels of metal pollution. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the amount of biofouling if the boats were coated with copper or zinc containing paints or no paint at all, indicating that biocide paints might not be necessary in lowsalinity areas such as the Stockholm archipelago. For boats that were not painted at all during the season, those washed on boat washers (mechanically) had on average half of the amount of biofouling compared to boats that were not cleaned mechanically. The results of the study indicate the importance of proper management of biofouling waste as well as the use of more environmentally friendly removal methods for biofouling such as boat washers.
“…Amphibalanus improvisus (Darwin, 1854), for example, prefers relatively smooth surfaces (Berntsson et al 2000(Berntsson et al , 2004 and this could be due to the antennular adhesive disc, which needs a specific level of roughness to attach firmly (Nott & Foster 1969;Yule & Walker 1984;Berntsson et al 2000). On the other hand, other species are completely unaffected by roughness: the settlement of cyprids of S. balanoides was tested for 15 different rock types, resulting to be independent of any potential effect of surface roughness or colour cues (Holmes et al 1997), while for A. amphitrite (= Balanus amphitrite) a preference for red and blue acrylic sheets was demonstrated (Satheesh & Wesley 2010).…”
Settlement, recruitment and survival of sessile marine species are driven by many biotic and abiotic factors. Among them, substrate mineral composition is generally a neglected topic, despite it proved to be a relevant contributing variable in driving the structure of benthic communities. Thanks to their ecology, Chthamalus species are a good proxy to test the role of substrate in affecting settlement and final population density on exposed rocky shores. Differences in the number of individuals were analysed in eight localities along the Eastern Ligurian Riviera (north-western Mediterranean Sea), from Portovenere to Manara Cape. In this sector of the Ligurian littoral, the coast is constituted by different rocks characterised by variable concentrations of calcite, silicates and quartz. This situation constitutes an ideal setting to evaluate the influence of mineral composition of the rocks in structuring the epilithic macrobiota communities in energetic splash zones and under similar physical pressures. Rocks rich in calcites turned out to be more suitable for Chthamalus species than substrates containing high amounts of silicates, and of quartz in particular. Additionally, also the grain size of the main mineral component of the rocks, determining in turn the surface roughness seemed to influence barnacle densities, with a significant preference for finer-grained substrates.
“…Biofilm composition and larval settlement are known to be affected by the physical properties of a substrate, such as colour (Satheesh and Wesley, ), surface roughness (Kerr and Cowling, ), wettability (Maki et al ., ) as well as topography (Magin et al ., ). However, only limited information is currently available on the interactions between the physical properties of a substrate, biofilm formation and subsequent larval settlement.…”
Section: Biofilms and Macrofouling: A Love/hate Affairmentioning
SummaryThe search for new antifouling (AF) coatings that are environmentally benign has led to renewed interest in the ways that micro-organisms colonize substrates in the marine environment. This review covers recently published research on the global species composition and dynamics of marine biofilms, consisting mainly of bacteria and diatoms found on man-made surfaces including AF coatings. Marine biofilms directly interact with larger organisms (macrofoulers) during colonization processes; hence, recent literature on understanding the basis of the biofilm/macrofouling interactions is essential and will also be reviewed here. Overall, differences have been identified in species composition between biofilm and planktonic forms for both diatoms and bacteria at various exposure sites. In most studies, the underlying biofilm was found to induce larval and spore settlement of macrofoulers; however, issues such as reproducibility, differences in exposure sites and biofilm composition (natural multispecies vs. monospecific species) may influence the outcomes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
