Seasonal and antifoulant effects on microbial-metazoan interactions in biofouling communities revealed by...

Biofouling is the undesired accumulation of organisms on submerged or wet surfaces of ship hulls, marine structures, and even the shells of marine organisms, such as bivalves. To prevent this, various coating technologies and antifouling agents have been developed. To assess the impact of biofouling patterns and antifoulants on biofilm and biofouling formation, we deployed untreated control plates and antifoulants-coated plates in Jangmok Bay and analyzed the interactions between bacteria and metazoans. Result showed minimal impact of biofouling patterns, while antifouling agents influenced both bacterial and metazoan biofouling. However, biofouling formation was species-specific, with gram-negative bacteria, particularly copper-tolerant ones, being more dominant on antifouling plates. Although the genus Pseudomonas had a lower abundance, its metabolic pathways were highly enriched. Instead of preventing barnacle settlement, increased settlement of other macrofoulers, including non-indigenous species like Perna viridis, was detected due to competitive interactions. Our findings suggest that antifouling effect may lead to increased dominance of certain organisms, rather than preventing biofouling. The development of more effective antifoulants coatings is crucial, as organisms with antifouling resistance can pose new hazards. Our study also confirmed the efficiency of metabarcoding approach, demonstrating a correlation between bacteria and metazoans through species level detection, as well as predicting potential hazardous factors.