Abstract
The spatio-temporal patterns of macrofaunal fouling assemblages were quantitatively investigated in the nearshore waters of the South China Sea. The work was undertaken by deploying seasonal panels at two sites (H-site, L-site) for one year, and the fouling communities on the panels were examined and analyzed. The results indicated that species composition of assemblages was obviously different between the two sites. At both sites the assemblages were characteristic with solitary dominant species throughout the year, with Amphibalanus reticulates dominating at H-site and Hydroides elegans at L-site. Shannon index and biomass of the assemblages varied with depth and season at both sites. At H-site the total biomass in summer and autumn were significantly higher than those in spring and winter, while at L-site the assemblage biomass also differed significantly among the four seasons, and the greatest biomass occurred at the depth of 2.0 m in winter. The abundance of all seasonal samples in non-metric multidimensional scaling was clustered as one group at L-site and three groups at H-site. The environmental factors were more likely to be related to the variation of fouling assemblages. Furthermore, it also suggests that in tropical seas the integrated adaptability would qualify a species for dominating a fouling assemblage despite its short life cycle, rather than the usually assumed only species with long life span. This study reveals the complexity and characteristic dynamics of macrofaunal fouling assemblages in the tropical habitats, and the results would provide valuable knowledge for biodiversity and antifouling research.
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Acknowledgements
The research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31660128, 31360105 and 31160098) and the Hainan University (Nos. kypd 1046 and Hdcxcyxm201715). The Analytical and Testing Center of Hainan University provided technical support. We are particularly grateful to Drs. Matthew G. Watson and Tao Yan for comments that helped improve the earlier versions of the manuscript, and Drs. Qun Shang, Chaochao Wang and the enthusiastic undergraduate students for offering assistance in sampling.
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Chen, X., Liu, Q., Zhuo, W. et al. The Characteristic Patterns of Macrofaunal Fouling Assemblages in Nearshore Waters of the South China Sea. J. Ocean Univ. China 17, 1142–1148 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-018-3556-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-018-3556-0