Effect of the Spatial Orientation of a Substrate on the Formation of Early Fouling Communities in the White Sea

Abstract

The formation of early fouling communities developing under different spatial orientations of substrates and various lighting conditions was studied during a field experiment. The algal predominance on the sunlit upward-oriented sides and the animal predominance on the shaded downward-oriented sides are the consequence of two processes: (1) competitive displacement of animals from the sunlit sides by algae; (2) preferential colonization of the shaded downward-oriented sides of the substrates by animals.