Marine antifouling laboratory bioassays: an overview of their diversity

In aquatic environments, biofouling is a natural process of colonization of submerged surfaces, either living or artificial, involving a wide range of organisms from bacteria to invertebrates. Antifouling can be defined as preventing the attachment of organisms onto surfaces. This article reviews the laboratory bioassays that have been developed for studying the control of algae and invertebrates by epibiosis (chemical ecology) and the screening of new active compounds (natural products and biocides) to inhibit settlement or adhesion, ie fouling-release coatings. The assays utilize a range of organisms (mainly marine bacteria, diatoms, algae, barnacles). The main attributes of assays for micro- and macroorganisms are described in terms of their main characteristics and depending on the biological process assessed (growth, adhesion, toxicity, behavior). The validation of bioassays is also discussed.