Sergey V. Dobretsov

• Dep. Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biological and Soil Sci., St.Petersburg State University
• Biology dep., Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Benthic Ecology, IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel University

• Chemical Ecology
• Interactions between unicellular and multicellular organisms
• Settlement and recruitment of larvae
• Biotechnology of marine biofouling, i.e. antifouling and aquaculture

In the White Sea, I assessed recruitment onto artificial substrata in the vicinity (dm-range) of different macroorganisms. Although, to all evidence bathed by the same pool of potential planktonic colonisers, recruitment on identical artificial substrata differed quantitatively and qualitatively between microhabitats. Results suggest that this heterogeneous recruitment was caused by exudes of the organisms forming the microhabitats. The overall impression was that macroorganisms strongly control recruitment not only on their surfaces but also, and in a related manner, on substrata of their close neighborhood.

In Hong Kong University of Science and Technology I investigated the effect of surface associated bacteria on the larval recruitment. I found that Vibrio sp. and Pseudoalteromonas sp. inhabited thalli of Ulva reticulata suppressed growth of the diatom Nitzschia paleacea and inhibited settlement of polychaete Hydroides elegans and bryozoan Bugula neritina. The putative antifouling aqueous compounds have molecular weight of >200 kD and apparently has a carbohydrate nature.

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