Sessile Biofouling on Electrolytic Carbonated Structures: Stages of Colonization and Succession

Abstract

The ecological succession has been widely studied by means of biofouling assemblages among different substrates, and mainly targeted in early stages on artificial ones. The present study focuses on biofouling that colonizes carbonated structures, a material similar to the natural substrate produced by the electrolysis of seawater, which is relatively very little studied. We have observed the colonization of sessile macrofouling of the port of Alicante (SE Spain, Western Mediterranean) on two types of substrates (electrolytic carbonated and steel) over 12 months of succession. The assemblages of both substrates have been analyzed by means of diversity indexes and multivariate analysis (PERMANOVA and SIMPER) in order to see the differences over time. The carbonated substrate has presented a community with higher values of biological diversity, structure and complexity, although the differences in species composition between substrates are not evident during all immersion periods. Thus, these results seem to indicate that, even after 12 months of immersion, communities are still in a dynamic successional stage.