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Biofouling animals in fresh water: biology, impacts, and ecosystem engineering
Author(s) -
Nakano Daisuke,
Strayer David L
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
frontiers in ecology and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.918
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1540-9309
pISSN - 1540-9295
DOI - 10.1890/130071
Subject(s) - biofouling , freshwater ecosystem , habitat , ecosystem , environmental science , ecology , marine habitats , eutrophication , biology , genetics , membrane , nutrient
Biofoulers accumulate on underwater surfaces and adversely affect human activities and infrastructure. Freshwater biofoulers are much less well‐known than their marine counterparts but can be economically important: we estimate the potential global cost of freshwater biofouling to be ~US$277 million per year. They include several groups of organisms, all of which have the potential to be ecosystem engineers with strong effects on the physical and chemical properties of freshwater habitats. Nevertheless, ecological and economic research on freshwater biofoulers has been limited. We predict that freshwater biofouling will become worse in the future as a result of human activities, such as anthropogenic introductions of exotic species, eutrophication, construction of artificial habitats, and climate change. Increasing demand for energy and water may raise the costs associated with freshwater biofouling prevention and damage repair. More research and better policies and technologies are needed to prevent escalation of biofouler impacts and their related costs.