The Effects of Protozoa on the Early Formation of Microbial Fouling Communities of Inchon Coastal Waters

To understand the role of protozoa in the early formation of microbial fouling community, the studies on the formation of microbial film, the succession of microbial fouling communities, and the grazing pressure on bacteria population in microbial film were carried out in the laboratory, Inchon outer port and Inchon inner harbour. Bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates formed primary microbial film on the aluminum surface within 6 hours and oligotrich ciliates were observed 2 cells on the same surface at 9 hours in Inchon inner harbour which had physically stagnant condition. The larvaes of Balanus albicostatus which were dominant meiobenthos in Inchon coastal area attached on the glass surface at the first day of experiment. Heterotrophic flagellates showed maximum abundance of 465 cells at the 13rd day and ciliates showed maximum abundance of 63 cells at the 11st day in the Inchon inner harbour. In the Inchon outer port which opens to the outer sea, the maximum abundance of protozoa occurred at early phase, but not so many. The dominant heterotrophic flagellates were Metrornonas simplex and Bodonids. Dominant ciliates were small tintinnids and oligotrich ciliate Strombidium sp., Large Strombidium (oligotrich ciliate) and sessile Acineta turberosa (suctorian ciliate) occurred after 10 days. The attached larvae of Balanus occurred as biofouling organism on the early surface and showed maximum abundance of 18 indiv. at 7th day. At that time, adult barnacles were observed on the surface and dead barnacles were observed after two days. Except barnacles, the larvaes of Anthozoa sp., Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Polychaeta were observed on the surface from 3rd day. 3 benthic copepods including Harpacticus sp., I isopod, 1 polychaeta and 1 gastropoda were observed as predators of the microbial film on the surface after 7 days when microbial film developed very well. Although the ingestion rates of protozoa on the bactctia of the rnicrobi31 film were relatively low, the average grazing rate of protozoa on bacteria was high of 0.058 . This implied that the grazing pressure of protozoa influences the mortality of bacteria populations on the microbial film. but protozoa cannot get enough energy from only bacteria on the microbial film.