BOTANY WITH THE BASICS OF HYDROBOTANY (AQUATIC PLANTS OF UKRAINE) - B.Ye. Yakubenko - 2011

VI. PLANT SYSTEMATICS

LOWER SPORE PLANTS

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES

Fouling of Ships and Hydraulic Structures

Fouling organisms can exist not only in aquatic environments (periphyton), but also subaerially (aerophyton). Aquatic fouling communities comprise Bacteria, Algae, actinomycetes, Fungi, Sponges, corals, and crustaceans. In the Black Sea, this unique group of organisms is represented exclusively by diatoms: Melosira moniliformis (O. Mill.) Ag., Navicula pennata var. pontica Mert., Amphora angustata (Greg.) Cl., Licmophora ehrenbergii (Kütz.) Grun., Synedra tabulata (Ag.) Kütz., Achnanthes longipes Ag., Hyalodiscus (Kütz.) Grun., Pleurosigma elongatum W. Sm.

Diatoms, together with bacteria, form a slimy bacterial-diatom-detrital film, which serves as an essential habitat requirement for some organisms, an optional substrate for others, and even an inhibitory factor for The Development of still others. This film, along with the organisms colonizing it, poses serious challenges to human economic activity. It reduces vessel speed, increases fuel consumption, impairs the performance of hydroacoustic equipment, and causes corrosion, leading to various damages in metal structures. At the same time, the slimy biofilm produced by fouling organisms can corrode Water conduits and disrupt heat exchange processes in cooling systems.

The primary method of protection against such fouling is The Use of antifouling paints containing various poisons, predominantly (preferably) copper(I) oxide and mercury(II) oxide. To prevent pipe fouling, the pipes are also fabricated from metals (primarily copper) that discourage Organism attachment. Organisms that have already settled in pipes are eradicated using hot or chlorinated water, ultrasound, electric current, electromagnetic fields, and other Methods.