Resumen de Spatial and temporal variation of bryozoan recruitment on experimental panels in Port Blair, Andaman Sea
Mohammed Naufal, Kadeparambil Arjunan Jayaraj
The studies on bryozoan taxonomy and its related biofouling aspects are very crucial in a place like Andaman where the ships and vessels operations have high potential. An experimental study was performed using glass and wooden test panels fixed at two ecologically different intertidal locations of Port Blair, Andaman Sea. The continuous monitoring of the panels for twelve months by retrieving single panels each month from both stations revealed the recruitment of nine fouling bryozoans. The environmental parameters of these periods were also recorded for statistical analysis. It was noticeable that all the nine bryozoa species identified in the one-year study were attached only to the glass panels. Similarly, the rough surfaces of the glass panels got a maximum number of colonies with recruitments in all the withdrawals from both stations. The wooden panels were severely attacked by barnacles and other wood borers. The present study revealed that wide variations in the settlement pattern of bryozoa were exciting in the coastal waters of Port Blair. Similarly, the bryozoan fouling can be affected by the type of the substratum, period of installation, and location. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was indicated that the species were differentially influenced by the environmental parameters.
