Fouling assemblage of benthic plastic debris collected from Mersin Bay, NE Levantine coast of Turkey

Design and implementation of two surveys targeted at describing fouling communities and identifying non-native species within active ports

“…However, accelerated low water corrosion (ALCW; Marty et al ., 2014; Smith et al ., 2019) was found to impede the colonization of steel, likely through chemical interaction with larvae or by creating a physical barrier for larval settlement (Smith et al ., 2019). Contrary to observations made in the MMS, both of the sessile species recorded from only one material, Bugula neritina and Spirobranchus triqueter , have been reported to colonize a wide range of materials in previous studies (Li et al ., 2016; Gündoğdu et al ., 2017), and indeed in the SSS survey within this study. Whilst it is difficult to directly compare observations made here to previous colonization studies, particularly ones from different environments, it is probable that a number of the factors listed above are resulting in the reduced colonization of some materials by certain organisms.…”

Do Morphological Similarities and human-induced dispersal explain the non-native occurrence of Serpulidae (Annelida) in Southwest Atlantic? Taxonomic detailing is the key

“…These polychaetes are encrusting organisms that colonise both natural (e.g., algae, shells, and corals) and artificial substrates (e.g., boat hulls, piers, floats, pillars, and solid residues) (Kiessling et al, 2015;Bastida-Zavala et al, 2017;Gündoğdu et al, 2017;Gracia et al, 2018). Their notable ability to attach themselves to many types of substrates and different surfaces, even moving objects such as ship hulls and floats, contributes to their passive transportation from one locality to another, with this colonisation ability perhaps responsible for their global invasiveness.…”

The Levels of Plastic-associated Heterotrophic Bacteria on Three Different Types of Plastics

“…The initiation of this mechanism, which is formed by microorganisms, which develops in all kinds of materials, and which is defined as "biofouling", is the attachment of gram negative bacteria to the environment, and then diatoms, protozoa and invertabrates are added to this structure. The long-term permanence of plastics in the marine ecosystem and the transport of bacteria and other microorganisms due to currents causes them to reach different marine areas as invasive species (Zettler et al, 2013;Pauli et a., 2017;Gündoğdu et al, 2017;Hodgson et al, 2018;Rech et al, 2018). These structures formed on plastics increase the weight of micro-macroplastics, and cause them to be transported from surface to bottom in aquatic ecosystems (Kaiser et al 2017;Kooi et al, 2017).…”