Influence of Filming and of Surface Texture on the Settlement of Marine Organisms

Abstract

WHEN a well-cleaned surface is allowed to stand in sea water it becomes coated with a film in a few hours. The film increases in thickness for at least the first few days after it has formed. Several reports are to be found in the literature of a filmed surface being more favourable to settlement than a freshly cleaned one1-4. It has been widely assumed that this is true for all marine larvæ, since a permanent surface suitable for settlement is bound to collect a film in the sea. The extreme view has indeed been expressed that filming may be a necessary pre-requisite to the attachment of marine larvæ, although larvaæ of some sedentary organisms have been observed to attach themselves to newly submerged surfaces before any visible film has formed2. © 1960 Nature Publishing Group.