Transference of marine fouling communities between polluted and unpolluted sites: Impact on structure

Fouling communities were transferred between Wollongong Harbour (Australia), a relatively unpolluted area, and nearby Port Kembla Harbour which is affected by pollution from nearby heavy industries. Those that had been transferred from Wollongong Harbour were similar in structure after two months to those that had developed entirely in Port Kembla Harbour. Conversely, the communities transferred from Port Kembla Harbour had a similar structure to those that had developed only in Wollongong Harbour. Many of the species transferred from Wollongong Harbour were thought to have been killed by periodic high concentrations of pollutants or overgrown by more competitive species. Those few that survived the polluted conditions were mainly bryozoans and serpulids. Surprisingly, many supposedly pollution-tolerant species transferred from Port Kembla Harbour did not survive in Wollongong Harbour. It is suggested that this was because these animals could not tolerate the lower nutrient conditions in the latter area. Space once occupied by these species was quickly colonised by species found only in Wollongong Harbour. These results have important implications for the functioning of these communities.