Fouling communities are communities of organisms found on artificial surfaces like the sides of docks,

marinas A marina (from Spanish language, Spanish , Portuguese language, Portuguese and Italian language, Italian : "related to the sea") is a Dock (maritime), dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a ...

, harbors, and boats. Settlement panels made from a variety of substances have been used to monitor settlement patterns and to examine several community processes (e.g., succession, recruitment, predation, competition, and invasion resistance). These communities are characterized by the presence of a variety of sessile organisms including ascidians,

bryozoans Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary Colony (biology), colonies. Typically about long, they have a spe ...

mussels Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, whic ...

tube Tube or tubes may refer to: * ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film * "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM television show * Tube (band), a Japanese rock band * Tube & Berger, the alias of dance/electronica producers Arndt Rör ...

building

polychaetes Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are m ...

, sea anemones,

sponges Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and ar ...

barnacles Barnacles are arthropods of the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebrates; many species live in shallow and tidal water ...

, and more. Common predators on and around

fouling Fouling is the accumulation of unwanted material on solid surfaces. The fouling materials can consist of either living organisms (biofouling, organic) or a non-living substance (inorganic). Fouling is usually distinguished from other surfac ...

communities include small

crabs Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the thorax. Their exoskeleton is often thickened and ha ...

starfish Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

, limpets,

chitons Chitons () are marine (ocean), marine molluscs of varying size in the class (biology), class Polyplacophora ( ), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 Extant taxon, extant and 430 fossil species are recognized. They are also sometimes known ...

, other

gastropods Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and from the land. Ther ...

, and a variety of

worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

Ecology

Fouling communities follow a distinct succession pattern in a natural environment.

Environmental impact

Impacts on Humans

Fouling communities can have a negative economic impact on humans, by damaging the bottom of boats, docks, and other marine human-made structures. This effect is known as

Biofouling Biofouling or biological fouling is the accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, or small animals where it is not wanted on surfaces such as ship and submarine hulls, devices such as water inlets, pipework, grates, ponds, and rivers that ...

, and has been combated by

Anti-fouling paint Anti-fouling paint is a specialized category of coatings applied as the outer (outboard) layer to the hull of a ship or boat, to slow the growth of and facilitate detachment of subaquatic organisms that attach to the hull and can affect a ve ...

, which is now known to introduce toxic metals to the marine environment. Fouling communities have a variety of species, and many of these are filter feeders, meaning that organisms in the fouling community can also improve water clarity.

Invasive Species

Fouling communities do grow on natural structures, however these communities are largely made up of native species, whereas the communities growing on man-made structures have larger populations of invasive species. This difference between the species diversity across human structures and natural substrate is likely dependent on human pollution, which is known to weaken native species and create a community and environment dominated by non-indigenous species. These largely non-indigenous species communities living on docks and boats usually have a higher resistance to anthropogenic disturbances. This effect is sorely felt in untouched native marine communities, as non-indigenous species growing on boat hulls are transported across the world, to wherever the boat anchors.

Research history

Fouling communities were highlighted particularly in the literature of marine ecology as a potential example of alternate stable states through the work of John Sutherland in the 1970s at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, although this was later called into question by Connell and Sousa. Fouling communities have been used to test the ecological effectiveness of artificial coral reefs.

References

External links

*http://research.ncl.ac.uk/biofouling/ is the Newcastle University barnacle and biofouling information site. *http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Environment/Biofouling/Pages/default.aspx is the International Maritime Organization information about biofouling which includes a comprehensive list of invasive species in the fouling community. *https://darchive.mblwhoilibrary.org/bitstream/handle/1912/191/chapter%203.pdf?sequence=11 *https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4896&context=open_access_etds Aquatic ecology Fouling {{ecology-stub