Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 1
Marine organisms to settle on the structures immersed in seawater [2]
Organism
Number
Bacteria
37
Fungi
14
Diatom
111
Algae
452
Protozoa
99
Porifera
33
Coelenterata
286
Annelida
108
Tentaculata
139
Arthropoda
292
Echinodermata
19
Chordata
127
Other invertebrates
29
Total
1746
not only toxins but also anesthetics, growth inhibitors, metamorphosis in-
hibitors, settlement inhibitors, settlement deterrent agents, attachment in-
hibitors, repellants, anti-mussel agents, anti-barnacle agents, general antibac-
terial agents, various antifungal agents and stimulants [3].
It is well known that many marine invertebrates such as sponges and
corals remain remarkably free from settlement by fouling organisms, sug-
gesting that they have biologically active compounds preventing the larvae of
other marine organisms from settlement and growth on their body. So far,
several compounds with such activities have been found among marine in-
vertebrates. These compounds are considered to play an important role in the
antifouling mechanism of marine organisms [4].
Natural products antifoulants consist mainly of five kinds of compounds
such as terpenes, nitrogen-containing compounds, phenols, steroids and
others. These are produced from sponges, corals, starfishes, mussels, algae,
terrestrial plants, etc.
3
Terpenes
3.1
Introduction
Terpenes were the most widespread compounds in nature, mainly in plants
such as pine trees and citrus fruits, as constituents of essential oils. But, some
