Features of the formation of microecotones in aquatic ecosystems

Abstract

The formation of ecotones in aquatic ecosystems on artificial mechanical barriers placed on fouling glasses has been studied. A positive statistically significant relationship was established between the size of an organism and the width of the ecotone formed by this organism in the series from bacteria to bryozoans and polyps. In relation to microorganisms, a more intensive formation of biofilms and mats was revealed in the marginal areas of biotopes. Larger fouling, such as algae, also more quickly develop the marginal areas of a discrete landscape and serve as a secondary biotope already for phytophilic invertebrates, which are characterized in these artificial biotopes by several times and sometimes by an order of magnitude greater abundance and biomass compared to adjacent standard conditions. The marginal ecotone aggregations also revealed increased polyp size and elevated concentrations of catalase in some molluscs and invertebrate larvae.