Formation of Fouling Communities on Anthropogenic Surfaces in the Coastal Waters of the Black Sea

This study is concerned with the seasonal development of a fouling community on artificial surfaces in marine coastal waters at a depth of 1.5–2 m. In the fall–winter period (October–February), Cryptosula pallasiana (Moll); colonial ascidia Botrillus schlosseri (Pallas); and attached ciliates of the genera Zoothamnium, Vorticella, Ephelota, Dendrosoma, and Folliculina form a layer of spotty fouling. Multispecies fouling communities develop during the summer–fall season (July–November). C. pallasiana, Conopeum seurati (Canu), and Amphibalanus improvises (Darwin), which settle simultaneously, form the first tier of fouling. The filamentous bryozoans Bowerbankia gracilis (Leidy) and polychaetes of the Serpulidae and Spionidae families settle in July–August and form a second fouling tier. Tunicates Molgula euprocta (Drasche), the hydroid Obelia loveni (Allman), and mollusks Мytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck) and Mytilaster lineatus (Gmelin) larvae (which settle in September) continue the fouling succession during the fall period. The results reflect the biodiversity of the southwestern coastal waters of the Crimea and the impact on the fouling succession of the climatic factor, specifically, the temperature of seawater, which is rising as a result of global warming.