Regular and irregular events in fouling communities in the White Sea

Patterns of long-term changes in fouling communities developing on artificial substrates in the White Sea are reviewed. The most significant shifts occurring in these communities are caused by biological successions that can last for several decades. Terminal stages of succession are the communities of a mussel Mytilus edulis or a solitary ascidian Styela rustica which can periodically replace one another within a narrow range of depths: from 1–1.5 to 5 m. Sporadic local invasion of a sponge Halichondria panicea can transiently modify the composition and performance of fouling communities. Sudden invasion of species that are not a typical component of fouling communities (infaunal polychaetes and molluscs, crabs) is not rare phenomenon but these organisms do not play a significant role there. Representatives of the associated polychaete fauna in fouling communities show long-term cyclic fluctuations in their abundances. Duration of these cycles is 7–8, 11–14, or 20 years.