Succession in Special Habitats 443 



bottom communities; similar relationships occur on hard bottoms and 

 on submerged surfaces subject to attack by fouling organisms. When 

 a jetty or pier is built, or a boat without anti-fouling paint is left at 

 her moorings, various plants and animals attach in recognizable se- 

 quences. Bacteria are the first to establish themselves, and they com- 

 monly form a film in which benthic diatoms and various filamentous 

 algae find a foothold. The subsequent course of succession varies 

 according to circumstances, but in some situations Bryozoa appear 



From Miner, 1934 



Fig. 12.8a. Mud flat community dominated by oysters. The shells of these ani- 

 mals provide a suitable substratum for the subsequent attachment of mussels. 



From Miner, 1934 



Fig. 12.8^7. Mussels have overgrown the oysters and will in turn be smothered by 

 the barnacles that are seen beginning to attach in abundance to the mussel shells. 



