THE COMPARATIVE TOLERANCES OF SOME FOULING ORGANISMS TO COPPER AND MERCURY

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The comparative tolerances of some fouling organisms to copper and mercury antifouling paints are evaluated by observations on the sequence of attachment to paints of moderate toxicity, to series of paints of graded tox-icity and to nontoxic surfaces adjacent to antifouling paints. The results of these observations, made in the Miami area, Florida, indicate that a red alga, Polysiphonia sp., and the barnacle Balanus amphitrite were the most tolerant and attached to Cu and Hg paints before other organisms. The encrusting bryozoan Watersipora cucullata was found to be slightly more tolerant to copper but considerably less tolerant to mercury than the two forms cited above. Other spp. of fouling organisms, though attaching to nontoxic surfaces, were not found on the toxic paints.[long dash]C. M. Weiss.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: