Dati preliminari sul contributo delle specie aliene nella successione del fouling nel Mar Grande di Taranto.

The influence of non-indigenous species (NIS) in the succession of fouling community was analysed in the Gulf of Taranto, a site that represents a hotspot of alien biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. PVC panels, used as artificial substrata deployed for colonization were positioned in the Mar Grande of Taranto in order to monitor the succession pattern at different depth and immersion times. The experimental design consisted in two years of study from April 2013 to April 2015 with 4 series of 36 panels deployed every 3 months. The preliminary results showed that the immersion period from July to October is the most favourable for NIS colonization, which is the main component of an early fouling community