Using encrusting bryozoan adhesion to evaluate the efficacy of fouling-release marine coatings.

Biofouling communities are spatiotemporally diverse, underscoring the need to assess fouling-release (FR) coating performance against common biofouling taxa at multiple field sites. Adhesion strength assessments of FR coatings incorporate few taxa into standardized protocols. This study tested the feasibility of incorporating existing ASTM barnacle protocols on tubeworms and encrusting bryozoans (EB). Additionally, trends in adhesion strength among these taxa were compared at two field sites. EB adhesion at both field sites showed consistent results and adhesion strength followed the same trend: tubeworms > barnacles >EB. Testing EB adhesion was feasible and enhanced assessments of FR coatings by increasing the diversity of assessed taxa.

Biofouling likely serves as a major mode of dispersal for the polychaete tubeworm Hydroides elegans as inferred from microsatellite loci.

The polychaete tubeworm Hydroides elegans (Haswell) is a biofouling species with relatively limited larval dispersal. Four highly polymorphic microsatellite loci were used to make inferences about the migration and global population structure of 137 individuals from seven sub-populations located in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea. The results of the genetic analyses suggest minimal population sub-structure (F(st) = 0.09). Estimates of pairwise F(st) and migration rates using the coalescent-based method of MIGRATE suggest that there is little genetic differentiation between certain populations. Variation in relatedness among pairs of populations is consistent with a suite of local and global factors. The most likely explanation for close genetic relatedness among certain populations over such vast distances is the regular and consistent transport of adults and larvae on the hulls and in the ballast water of ships, respectively.

Factors that influence elastomeric coating performance: the effect of coating thickness on basal plate morphology, growth and critical removal stress of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite.

Silicone coatings are currently the most effective non-toxic fouling release surfaces. Understanding the mechanisms that contribute to the performance of silicone coatings is necessary to further improve their design. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of coating thickness on basal plate morphology, growth, and critical removal stress of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite. Barnacles were grown on silicone coatings of three thicknesses (0.2, 0.5 and 2 mm). Atypical ("cupped") basal plate morphology was observed on all surfaces, although there was no relationship between coating thickness and i) the proportion of individuals with the atypical morphology, or ii) the growth rate of individuals. Critical removal stress was inversely proportional to coating thickness. Furthermore, individuals with atypical basal plate morphology had a significantly lower critical removal stress than individuals with the typical ("flat") morphology. The data demonstrate that coating thickness is a fundamental factor governing removal of barnacles from silicone coatings.

Energetics of larval swimming and metamorphosis in four species of Bugula (Bryozoa).

The amount of energy available to larvae during swimming, location of a suitable recruitment site, and metamorphosis influences the length of time they can spend in the plankton. Energetic parameters such as swimming speed, oxygen consumption during swimming and metamorphosis, and elemental carbon and nitrogen content were measured for larvae of four species of bryozoans, Bugula neritina, B. simplex, B. stolonifera, and B. turrita. The larvae of these species are aplanktotrophic with a short free-swimming phase ranging from less than one hour to a maximum of about 36 hours. There is about a fivefold difference in larval volume among the four species, which scales linearly with elemental carbon content and, presumably, with the amount of endogenous reserves available for swimming and metamorphosis. Mean larval swimming speeds (in centimeters per second) were similar among species. Specific metabolic rate and larval size were inversely related. For larvae of a given species, respiration rates remained similar for swimming and metamorphosis; however, because metamorphosis lasts about twice as long as a maximal larval swimming phase, it was more energetically demanding. Larger larvae expended more energy to complete metamorphosis than did smaller larvae, but in terms of the percentage of larval energy reserves consumed, swimming and metamorphosis were more "expensive" for smaller larvae. A comparison of the energy expended during larval swimming calculated on the basis of oxygen consumption and on the basis of elemental carbon decrease suggests that larvae of Bugula spp. may not use significant amounts of dissolved organic material (DOM) to supplement their endogenous energy reserves.

Effect of Larval Swimming Duration on Growth and Reproduction of Bugula neritina (Bryozoa) Under Field Conditions.

A growing body of evidence indicates that even subtle events occurring during one portion of an animal's life cycle can have detrimental, and in some cases, lasting effects on later stages. Using a laboratory-field transplant design, postmetamorphic costs associated with the duration of larval swimming were investigated in the bryozoan Bugula neritina. Larvae were induced to metamorphose in the laboratory after swimming for either less than 1 h or between 23 and 24 h; colonies that developed from these two groups of larvae are referred to hereafter as "1-h colonies" and "24-h colonies," respectively. After completing metamorphosis, individuals were transplanted to the field, where rates of growth and reproduction were monitored. In a study of the interaction between colony orientation (up or down) and larval swimming duration, both factors significantly affected the number of autozooids produced. For example, 14 days after metamorphosis, 1-h colonies facing up were approximately 40% smaller than 1-h colonies facing down. In another study, the effects of larval swimming duration, orientation, and a neighboring conspecific colony on growth and reproduction were examined. In this experiment, proximity to a conspecific colony and orientation did not significantly affect growth or fecundity, whereas increased larval swimming duration significantly reduced both. For example, 14 days after metamorphosis, the 24-h colonies were 35% smaller than 1-h colonies. Furthermore, from the time metamorphosis was initiated, the onset of reproduction was delayed by about 1.5 days in 24-h colonies when compared to 1-h colonies; and a slight delay (ca. 1 day) was associated with proximity of a developing conspecific in 1-h and 24-h colonies. In addition, 17 days after metamorphosis, 24-h colonies had about half as many brood chambers (an index of fecundity) as 1-h colonies. Costs associated with increasing the larval swimming phase by only 24 h are significant in postmetamorphic individuals, and they clearly compromise colony fitness.

Effect of Larval Swimming Duration on Success of Metamorphosis and Size of the Ancestrular Lophophore in Bugula neritina (Bryozoa).

There is a growing realization that events during one portion of an organism's life cycle can have both subtle and dramatic effects on other stages in the life history. Lethal and sublethal effects associated with the duration of larval swimming in marine invertebrates were examined for the bryozoan Bugula neritina. Larvae were kept swimming up to a maximum of 28 h at 20°C by exposure to continuous bright fluorescent illumination. At 4-h intervals, samples of 20-40 larvae were removed from bright illumination and were exposed to seawater containing 10 mM excess KCI, an inducer of metamorphosis in this species. Over the first 12 h of larval swimming, an average of about 90% of the larvae initiated and completed metamorphosis; at 16 h, the percentage of larvae initiating and completing metamorphosis dropped significantly. By 28 h, about half of the larvae were initiating metamorphosis, whereas only one-fifth were completing metamorphosis. Larval swimming duration also significantly affected the duration of metamorphosis. By 30 h of larval swimming, individuals were taking about 25% longer to complete metamorphosis. Compared to ancestrulae that developed from larvae that were induced to metamorphose shortly after the onset of swimming, those that swam for greater than 8 h had significantly smaller lophophores. For example, by 28 h of larval swimming the ancestrular lophophore decreased in height, surface area, and volume by about 25%, 40% and 55%, respectively. This marked decrease in lophophore size may ultimately affect the ability of juveniles to sequester food, compete for space, and attain reproductive maturity. Thus, increasing the duration of larval swimming affects both metamorphosis and the development of postlarval structures, which may ultimately influence colony fitness.