Abstract
The long-term effects of limpets on a marine biofouling community were studied. Each of six 20 cm2 shipping-steel panels was artificially colonized by 15 Patella caerulea limpets transplanted from intertidal rocks. Six other panels served as controls. The panels were hung at I. m. and 5.5 m depth from a pier in an Israeli port, and fouling was allowed to occur for 8 months. During winter, when fouling recruitment was low, the limpets reduced the 84%-90% cover of biofouling to 1%–3%, and barnacle density from 2.6–3.8 to 0.7–0.8 individuals.cm-2. With the commencement of the spring surge of fouling recruitment, the controlling effects of the limpets steadily declined, but they continued to check the development of the high-mass bryozoan cover. The decline was due to a feed-back loop; heavy settlement of barnacles brought about an initial reduction in control that resulted in increased barnacle sizes and density. This also induced accelerated mortality among limpets, bringing about a further increase in barnacle density.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 261-278 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Biofouling |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 1993 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was supported by Resources For the Future, Incorporated, by the Robert Szold Institute for Applied Science, and by the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation. We want to thank S Pisanti, D Litvin and J Shalmoni for their help in the various stages of this research.
Keywords
- barnacle
- biofouling
- biological control
- community structure
- limpet
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aquatic Science
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Water Science and Technology
