Recovery of the encrusting bryozoan, Parasmittina delicatula, from damage at Flinders, Victoria.

Updated: 2015-06-15

Parasmittina delicatula colonies were located on the Flinders pier in early 1999 and assigned to a small size class (10-15mm) or large size class (30mm or more). Each colony was damaged by scraping colony parts according to assigned treatment. The treatments were large control (>30mm diameter), large fragment with edge intact, large fragment with edge removed, central fragment, small control and small fragment with edge removed (see attached resource for more details). Colonies were photographed in situ with an underwater camera using slide film at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 months. A total of 56 established colonies were photographed over the 8 month period. In the laboratory, the slides were projected onto graph paper, and the outlines of the colonies traced. The images were then scanned and colony survival, morality, size, growth and fragmentation were recorded using SigmaScan 2.0.