To elucidate the characteristics of macro-fouling communities on discus buoys, an assessment was conducted on 4 buoys deployed in offshore waters southeast of the Zhujiang River Delta and the northeastern Beibu Gulf, respectively. The abundance and biomass of macro-fouling organisms colonizing the side of buoys were 400.00−78 296.00 ind./m2 and 659.42−62 276.00 g/m2, respectively, whereas those on the bottom were 412.00−66 585.00 ind./m2 and 1 861.60−60 784.00 g/m2. At most stations, the abundance and biomass of macro-fouling organisms on the bottom of buoys were higher than on the side. The diversity index (H′) on the bottom of buoys ranged from 2.39 to 3.06, the richness index (d) from 4.02 to 6.98 and the evenness index (J′) from 0.88 to 0.91; and those on the side of buoys were from 0.64 to 2.79, 1.10 to 4.89 and 0.58 to 0.96, respectively. Both of the H′ and the d on the bottom of buoys were higher than on the side. According to the results of Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and Non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling, the macro-fouling communities of buoys could be clustered into 4 groups at 30% similarity. Of them, the communities on the bottom of the buoys could be basically clustered into a group while those on the sides varied with locations. Moreover, one-way Analysis of Similarities and Similarity Percentages-Species Contributions not only indicated that the macro-fouling community structure differed significantly between the side and bottom of the offshore buoys but also highlighted that the cirripedians and cnidarians made the greatest contribution to the difference. Overall, macro-fouling organisms preferentially colonized the bottom of discus buoys rather than the side.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |