Influence of substratum surface tension on biofouling of artificial substrata in Kiel Bay (Western Baltic):In situstudies

Abstract

The role of substratum surface tension on the colonization process (fouling) on artificial substrata was investigated in Kiel Bay (Western Baltic). The density of organisms from the major groups (bacteria, microalgae, protozoa, macroorganisms) was monitored on test panels after several exposure intervals in two experimental series. The results showed that substrata with a surface free energy of 24 mN/m were initially less densely colonized by representatives of the different fouling groups. The most hydrophobic substrata and those between 31-43 mN/m were heavily colonzied but there was a slight decrease in density towards the most hydrophilic material (glass). After an immersion time of 64 d these differences were not apparent for bacteria, microalgae or protozoa. These results correspond with thermodynamic predictions, which propose minimum bioadhesion on substrata with critical surface tensions between 20-25 mN/m in seawater. In addition, factors other than the surface tension may be important in marine fouling.

Potential control of bacterial epibiosis on the surface of the sponge Mycale adhaerens

“…Becker & Wahl (1991) found that substrata with high hydrophobicity or with surface free energy between 31 and 43 mN m -1 were heavily colonized by bacteria and other microorganisms. However, Qian et al (2000) found that bacteria did not attach well to substrate with either the largest contact angle (Teflon surface) or the smallest contact angle (glass surface) and there was no good correlation between bacterial density and contact angles of substrate.…”

“…Therefore, it is generally believed that bacterial epibiosis can be controlled endogenously by the metabolites of basibionts (Bakus et al 1986, Davis et al 1989, Paul 1992. Bacterial epibiosis can also be controlled mechanically by sloughing of epithelial tissue (Barthel & Wolfrath 1989), and maintaining surface tension (Becker & Wahl 1991), wettability (Dexter et al 1975) and pH (Baker & Orr 1986), which are unfavorable for bacterial colonization. Besides, there is increasing evidence that certain epibiotic bacteria can inhibit the growth and attachment of other bacteria competing for the same niche (Holmström et al 1996, Boyd et al 1999b, Thakur & Anil 2000.…”

Macrofouling in unidirectional flow: miniature pipes as experimental models for studying the interaction of flow and surface characteristics on the attachment of barnacle, bryozoan and polychaete larvae

“…Different substrata often support very different fouling communities, depending upon the time and duration of immersion (Becker & Wahl 1991, Holm et al 1997). …”

The antifouling performance of biomimetic fish slime-like PVA/PAAm hydrogels modified coating in marine

“…Marine biofouling takes place on immersed surfaces as a result of several successive steps consisting of the formation of a conditioning film firstly, the following adhesion of macroalgae, fungi, protozoa and the last invertebrate larvae attachment [6]. In this complex process, it is also generally accepted that a lot of physical-chemical factors of the submerged surface influence on biofouling, such as surface tension and energy, wettability, elastic modulus, surface chemistry, surface roughness and topography etc [7] [8].…”