Antifouling activity oflyso-platelet-activating factor extracted from australian spongeCrella incrustans

Larvae of the ascidianClavelina moluccensis do not settle in the field on the spongeCrella incrustans and are deterred from settling by crude chemical extracts of the sponge. Progressive refinement of extracts, guided by bioassays, led to the identification oflyso-platelet-activating factor (lyso-PAF) from the sponge.lyso-PAF is inhibitory in assays using ascidian, bryozoan, barnacle, and algal settlement and mussel byssal attachment. Its role in the field has not yet been demonstrated.