Responses of settling invertebrate larvae to bioorganic films: Effects of large-scale variation in films

Abstract

Results of previous studies have shown that at two sites in southeastern Australia (Williamstown and Mornington), some sessile invertebrate species recruit at higher densities onto surfaces that have a microbial film present, and that some species recruit in proportion to the age (0-6 days) of that film. Other sessile species, notably colonial ascidians, do not respond to the presence of these films, and some barnacles may avoid the films. We tested whether larvae can detect or respond to differences in the microbial films that develop in different geographic localities and on longer time scales. To do this, we first confirmed that laboratory-developed microbial films induced higher recruitm..