Carraro et al 2012. Characterization of the fouling community of macroinvertebrates on the scallop Nodipecten nodosus (Mollusca, Pectinidae) farmed in Santa Catarina, Brazil (original) (raw)
Related papers
Aquaculture, 2009
Scallop aquaculture in Chile suffers from intense fouling on culture facilities by invasive species such as the ascidian Ciona intestinalis and the bryozoan Bugula neritina. We examined the grazing effect of the rock shrimp Rhynchocinetes typus on fouling species, which colonize scallop pearl nets. We placed different densities of shrimp (0, 2, 5 and 10 individuals) in pearl nets with juvenile scallops (mean shell height 4.9 cm) at Tongoy Bay in northern-central Chile. We sampled the nets after 4 months (January-May 2007) and recovered 35-50% of the shrimp from the different treatments. The nets with 10 initial shrimp had a lower cover of the bryozoan B. neritina and lower densities of the ascidians C. intestinalis and Pyura chilensis, which resulted in a 50% decrease in biomass of fouling on nets. Low scallop mortality and slightly higher (yet not significant) growth in treatments with high shrimp densities suggest a positive interaction between the shrimp and scallops. The native rock shrimp is therefore considered a good candidate as a biological control of fouling communities and this could have a potential for polyculture.
Brazilian Journal of Oceanography, 2006
The northern coast of Rio de Janeiro State lacks natural consolidate substrates, making it a proper environment to the development of researches using artificial structures. After studies about the type of substrate, concrete seems to be the most appropriate for studying fouling community development. This research was carried out to investigate the functional role of biofouling in the development of the ichthyic community in the north of Rio de Janeiro State. Percentage data of the epibenthic organisms' coverage and samples of the fish community with gillnet and visual census showed that biofouling in artificial reefs might have more than one functional role, acting as a facilitator in the recruitment of fish species and as a link in the trophic marine chain. Through the increase of localized structural complexity provided by the reef itself and by the fouling organisms which act as "engineering species", additional protection options are offered to the ichthyic community, especially recruits. Also, the epibiont biomass represents an important link in the food web, acting either as a direct source or in the transference of energy to higher trophic levels. Through the relationship between the ichthyic and fouling communities we concluded that the functional role of the latter in artificial reef habitats could be characterized mainly as shelter and feeding grounds for few fish species.
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2003
Transplantation of artificial panels between a polluted and an unpolluted site was used to evaluate eutrophication effects on the development of fouling communities in Ilha Grande Bay, SE Brazil. Organic pollution changed the relative dominance of species in the fouling communities of transplanted panels, although, their richness, evenness, and specific composition did not change. The chlorophyte Ulva sp. occurred only in the polluted site and in panels transplanted to it, whereas the bryozoan Aetea lingulata was found only in the unpolluted site and in panels transplanted to this site. These species are therefore good pollution indicators. The best pollution indicators, however, were amphipods and Spionidae polychaetes which formed mucous tubes. These groups had significantly higher values of percent cover (p<0.0001) in the polluted site and in panels transferred to it. The dominance shift is the first evidence that more meaningful changes can occur in the structure of fouling communities on a long-term scale.
e-geo.fcsh.unl.pt
Offshore aquaculture at Sagres on the south west coast of Portugal is affected by heavy biofouling on the infrastructure ("long-lines", flotation bouys, and nets) as well as on the oyster stock. This study has used the protocol for the baseline study of a European Union funded project on the Collective Research for Aquaculture Biofouling (www.crabproject.com) to assess fouling pressure. Only the recruitment patterns of barnacles (Balanus perforatus), tubeworms (Pomatoceros triqueter), and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) are considered, as they have the greatest commercial impact on oyster culture at Sagres, both by increasing the cleaning costs and by competing with the stock for space and food.
Aquaculture, 2007
Growth of fouling organisms on suspended fish cages is an impediment to aquaculture projects in coastal waters around the world. The present study characterized ecological succession of fouling communities on the netting of fish cages at an open ocean aquaculture site 10 km east of New Hampshire, USA in the western Gulf of Maine. Ecological succession can be defined as the process by which a community moves from a simple level of organization to a more complex community. Routine cleaning of the cages causes loss of organisms and initiation of ecological succession. Experimental panels of nylon net material were deployed at different times of the year and for different durations from September 2002 to September 2003 (eleven sets of 1-month panels, four sets of 3-month panels, two sets of 6-month panels, and one set of 1-year panels), with four replicates of each deployment. Panels were randomly arranged on a grid that was attached to a fish cage at a water depth of ∼15 m. There were substantial and significant differences in density and biomass of the total communities of most successional sequences when comparing panels deployed during May-September to those deployed during the cooler months, October-April. However, the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, dominated in density and biomass in almost every sequence, regardless of time of initiation or duration. Other species that occurred in high numbers and/or biomass were the amphipods Caprella sp. and Jassa marmorata, the molluscs Hiatella arctica and Anomia sp., the seastar Asterias vulgaris, and the anemone Metridium senile. Juveniles and adults of some species were also present in some early (1-month) successional sequences, indicating that migration may be an important process in community development. Some of the dominant species listed above were present in all successional stages (early, intermediate and late), differing only in relative abundances in the community. The consistent dominance of M. edulis, and other differences in successional patterns compared to what has been typically observed for epifaunal communities in the region, were hypothesized to be the result of a combination of factors: a lack of predators such as seastars and fish that typically consume mussels in natural communities, excessive predation by nudibranchs on those species (e.g., Tubularia sp.) normally abundant in early successional stages, year-round availability of mussel larvae, and cage cleaning protocols that do not remove all the organisms present. The introduction of predatory fishes or seastars into or onto the cages might provide some amount of control on the growth of fouling organisms.
Substrate type as a selective tool against colonization by non-native sessile invertebrates
Brazilian Journal of Oceanography, 2010
A B S T R A C T Different substrates of varying composition, color, texture and orientation may selectively influence recruitment of sessile invertebrates and thereby influence the resultant community. Thus substrates may act as a barrier to the establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS). In southern Brazil, granite is the main rock forming natural rocky walls that are available for encrusting organisms. In this study we tested whether granite selectively influences recruitment and impedes colonization by introduced and cryptogenic species that are already established on artificial substrates within the region. Plates of rough cut granite and of polyethylene were made available each month under a pier at a yacht club in Paranaguá Bay. A community is already established on concrete columns and fiber glass floats on the piers. After one, two and twelve months, the faunal composition of the plates was compared between the two treatments and other artificial substrates. Granite was recruited by all the seven introduced species found in the Bay and by 18 of 26 cryptogenic species and therefore is ineffective as a barrier to NIS colonization.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 1992
The clearance rate of natural planktonic assemblages was measured for the blue mussel Mytilus edulis (L.) and a co-occurring fouling community from mussel rope cultures using flow cytometry. Blue mussels had significantly higher clearance rates for ail particle types and size classes. In addition, blue mussels showed selective feeding in favor of small phytopl~kton (3-5 pm), whereas the solitary ascidian Ciona jntes~a~~ (L.) and the suspension-f~d~g gastropod Crep~dula fomicata (L.) showed preferential selection for large phytopl~~on (> 16 ym). Clearance rates for large ph~opI~kton by these members of the fouling community were, however, always lower than blue musseIs. Under conditions where food is not a limiting factor, interspecific competition for food by the associated fouling community should not significantly limit the yield of mussels.