Antifouling activity against barnacle cypris larvae: Do target species matter (Amphibalanus amphitrite versus Semibalanus balanoides)?

Larvae of many benthic invertebrates settle on surfaces where they metamorphose into juveniles if suitable substrata are available, and are responsible for the major costs of biofouling. When assessing new formulations or compounds for potential antifouling (AF) application, constraints such as seasonal availability may restrict most bioassays to relatively few taxa and species. For example, amongst barnacles, Amphibalanus amphitrite is popular as a test organism but is it really representative of other barnacle species? In order to test this hypothesis, we have chosen to work with marine natural extracts as a probe. Indeed, one substitution technology to toxic metal-based coatings to control fouling is the development of AF coatings with active compounds derived from marine organisms or analogues of the lead compounds. In this study, the AF activity and toxicity of extracts from 30 algae from the North East Atlantic coast were investigated for their potential anti-settlement activities against larvae of two species of barnacle, A. amphitrite and Semibalanus balanoides. As a trend, most of the active extracts displayed activity towards S. balanoides, only few displayed targeted activity against A. amphitrite, or against both species. In order to better understand if this tendency could be linked to chemical ecology, surface extracts were prepared on a selection of species. The results highlight that surface extracts of algae all displayed highest levels of activity than total extracts when tested on S. balanoides. This difference illustrates that specific compounds in their ecological context can have potentially a better efficacy on target species.