Effect of barnacles on the survival and growth of temperate mangrove seedlings

Abstract

Loss of mangrove forests is a problem in many areas of the world, and attempts to reestablish seedlings have been hindered by slow growth rates and low seedling survival. This poor seedling performance has, in part, been attributed to the presence of barnacles attached to stems and leaves of mangroves. There is, however, little experimental evidence to assess the importance of these fouling organisms. In Western Port, a large bay in southeastern Australia, the only species of mangrove, Avicennia marina, is heavily fouled by a single barnacle species, Elminius covertus. We tested whether barnacles influenced seedling growth and survival of A. marina by removing them from the stem, upper, and ..