Biofilm: A crucial factor affecting the settlement of seaweed on intertidal rocky surfaces

We hypothesized that the presence of biofilm accelerated the settlement of dominant seaweed species and maintained high levels of species richness by regulating the blooming of particular species on an intertidal rocky shore. The coverage and species richness of macroalgae on sterile and cleared substrates (225 cm2) were measured to investigate the effects of biofilm on the settlement of macroalgae in intertidal zones at Noryang, Songmoon, and Sangnam in Gawngyang Bay on the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. Green algae coverage on cleared substrates was significantly higher than that on sterile substrates at both Noryang and Songmoon during the study period. This suggests that the presence of biofilm enhances the settlement of green algae by providing various habitat structures and, consequently, may lead to serious ‘green tide’ events. However, the coverage of algae other than green algae and algal species richness on cleared substrates remained high at Sangnam during the experimental period. Biofilm facilitated the settlement of macroalgae and inhibited the blooming of specific algae by inducing inter-specific space competition. Therefore, biofilm plays an important role on seaweed assemblages on intertidal rocky shores by accelerating the settlement of seaweed.