Macrofouling Development on Artificial Structure at Karambunai Bay, Sabah Malaysia

Abstract

Abstract This study investigates macrofouling development on PVC panels deployed in Karambunai, Sabah. The experimental setup includes two sets of connected PVC pipes, framed in a triangular shape, attached to concrete blocks deployed on the seafloor and kept afloat vertically underwater. The first set (upper) of frame positioned 2 m below the surface whereas the second set (bottom) attached 8 m below it. A total of 36 PVC plates measuring 20 cm x 27 cm were tied on each three sides of the two sets of frames. To investigate monthly macrofouling development, three panels were taken from each side of the two frames. This experiment lasted 180 days, starting from end of April to October 2017. As a result, a total of ten different species were identified growing on the front side and the back side of the plates at 2 m and 8 m. The total biomass of macrofouling assemblages at 2 m and 8 m had a significant (P<0.05) positive correlation (0.89), suggesting that there was no significant difference of total biomass between two different depths. For macrofouling community, diversity indices showed similar values for both sides of the plates at 2 m and 8 m, indicating that depth and plate orientation had no influence on the distribution pattern of macrofouling growth.