Seasonal Variation of Major Fouling Organisms of Pteria penguin （Röding） and Its Effects on the Growth Performance of the Shell

Key words: 
• Pteria penguin （Rö /
• ding） /
• fouling organisms /
• cultured population /
• wild population

Abstract: The species, biomass, infection rate, infection position of biofouling at Pteria penguin and its effect on their growth performances were analyzed at different seasons. The results showed that ① the species and the biomass of fouling organisms on the Pteria penguin varied with seasons significantly, which were significantly higher in summer and autumn than that in spring and winter （that in summer was the highest）（P＜0.05）; the common dominant species of biofouling in summer and autumn were sponge （phylum porifera）, polydora, hydroides, serpula, balanus and sea squirt, however, they were horny coral, balanus and bugula in spring, they were sea squirt, balanus and bugula in winter; in winter, the attachment situation of wild Pteria penguin were similar to that of cultured Pteria penguin, however, the parasitic load of polydora, hydroides and serpula in wild Pteria penguin were significantly lower than that in cultured Pteria penguin. ②the cultured Pteria penguin were infected by polychaete parasitosis in all seasons, and the infection rates of spring, summer, autumn and winter were 11.76%, 36.51%, 27.58%, 19.56%, respectively; in winter, the infection rate of cultured Pteria penguin was higher than that of wild Pteria penguin; the infection rates of surface shell were higher than that of the inner shell as well as both surface and inner shell in all seasons; in spring and winter, the infection rates of the inner shell were higher than that of both surface and inner shell, while in summer and autumn the results were opposite. ③ the growth performances of healthy Pteria penguin were higher than that of the infected one, especially in summer, the difference was significant.