TY - JOUR
TI - Characterisation of the Biofouling Community on a Floating Wave Energy Device
AU - Nall, C
AU - Schläppy, M
AU - Guerin, A
T2 - Biofouling
AB - Wave energy devices are novel structures in the marine environment and, as such, provide a unique habitat for biofouling organisms. In this study, destructive scrape samples and photoquadrats were used to characterise the temperate epibenthic community present on prototypes of the Pelamis wave energy converter. The biofouling observed was extensive and diverse with 115 taxa recorded including four non-native species. Vertical zonation was identified on the sides of the device, with an algae-dominated shallow subtidal area and a deeper area characterised by a high proportion of suspension-feeding invertebrates. Differences in species composition and biomass were also observed between devices, along the length of the device and between sampling dates. This research provides an insight into the variation of biofouling assemblages on a wave energy device as well as the potential technical and ecological implications associated with biofouling on marine renewable energy structures.
DA - 2017/05//
PY - 2017
VL - 33
IS - 5
SP - 379
EP - 396
UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08927014.2017.1317755
DO - 10.1080/08927014.2017.1317755
LA - English
KW - Wave
KW - Marine Energy
KW - Habitat Change
KW - Invertebrates
ER -