Resistance of a Tunicate to Fouling
Stoecker D. 1978. Resistance of a Tunicate to Fouling. Biological Bulletin. 155:615 - 626
Although sessile organisms of several phyla are believed to have defenses against epizooic recruitment (fouling), the ecological consequences of epizooic recruitment have received relatively little attention. In simple ascidians, such as Ascidia nigra, ( Savigny) extensive fouling could have several detrimental effects: first, obstruction of the siphon apertures could prevent feeding and respiration; secondly, over-topping could reduce feeding efficiency by reducing water movement past the ascidian's siphons; thirdly, epibionts could compete with the ascidian for food ; fourth, a heavy load of fouling organisms could also increase sedimentation, which could be detrimental; and finally, increased drag due to epibionts could make an ascidian more likely to be dislodged by water movements. However, fouling may have a beneficial effect by providing camouflage.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Stoecker, Diane
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- Ascidians, Bermuda, Chemical Analyses, Filter Feeder, Morphological analyses, Physiology, West Indies