ABSTRACT
Biofouling on man-made surfaces in the marine environment is controlled primarily by the use of antifouling paints that act by releasing biocides, which form a layer of high toxicity at the paint surface, effectively poisoning organisms that settle there. Physical strategies include actual surface characteristics such as surface energy that might contribute lower levels of fouling adhesion. Surfaces with initially diverse surface properties are rapidly conditioned by adsorbing organics when exposed to the marine environment. Both inorganic and organic chemical strategies for biofouling control have been identified in marine organisms. Inorganic mechanisms include surface pH extremes and inorganic ion toxicity. Organic mechanisms involve secondary metabolite activity. Specific metabolites active in antifouling assays have been described from a number of nonmotile taxa. These putative natural antifouling agents fall across broad structural lines and include: fatty acids, saponins, terpenes, steroidal sulfates, dibromotyrosine metabolites, alkaloids, butenolides and phenolics.
