The colonization of artificial substrata by Marine sessile organisms in false bay. 1. Community development

Abstract

Marine sessile communities developing on stainless steel test panels set 10 and 20 m deep in False Bay over periods ranging from a month to a year were examined. The establishment of communities was characterized by seasonal succession, colonization rates being lowest during winter. Community development differed between depths. At 10 m, barnacles appeared first but numerous mussels settled on them, eventually smothering them. Later, secondary settlement of barnacles on the mussels increased the bulk of the layer. Initial development was slower at the 20 m site, progressing from barnacle dominance to a more complex community including barnacles, serpulids, hydrozoans and compound ascidians. The settlement of solitary ascidians during summer led to their final dominance alongside barnacles. It is suggested that solitary ascidians and barnacles would normally dominate at sublittoral depths up to 20 m in False Bay, except where mussel dominance develops first. © 1990 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.