15
Views
4
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

COLONIZATION AND VIABILITY OF AN ARTIFICIAL STEEL REEF IN FALSE BAY, SOUTH AFRICA

, &
Pages 499-512 | Published online: 22 Mar 2010
 

SUMMARY

Colonization of the wreck of an obsolete naval frigate scuttled in 34 m depth in False Bay, South Africa showed a characteristic pattern of early settlement, rapid growth and decline towards the end of the first year. Initial colonization was by barnacles followed by mussels, which became the most important organisms reaching a biomass of some 790 g.m-2 (wet mass) in places. After two years the mussel population had all but disappeared and the wreck appeared barren. A stable reef community was never established and the small number of species present—28 at its peak, declining to 10 after one year—was subject to catastrophic events both biotic and abiotic, which periodically destroyed large sections of the community.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.