Hydrodynamic Factors Controlling Settlement in Fouling Organisms.

摘要

In recent years considerable effort has been directed toward understanding the behavioral and physiological events leading to the settlement and recruitment of fouling organisms. A wide variety of animals express preferences in the sites where they settle in response to chemical cues and various physical aspects of the substratum. However, these preferences cannot be expressed if hydrodynamic factors prevent larvae from reaching and adhering to the substratum. Thus the expression of site preference can depend on the mechanics of settlement, and it seems likely that a thorough understanding of these mechanics will be useful in the manipulation and control of fouling on man-made structures.