Microbial diversity of marine microfouling on hydrophobic antifouling coatings

The goal of this project is to study the diversity and the structure of marine microbial communities developped on different substrates (two hydrophobic substrates containing tetrafluoroethyl methacrylate, one commercial PDMS-based fouling release coating and uncoated glass slides). These substrates were immersed in natural seawater (Banyuls-sur-Mer, France, NW Mediterranean Sea), and sampled after one, three and six months. After six months of immersion, samples were also exposed to a 5-knot hydrodynamic shear constraint to compare the effect of a moderate shear stress on the detachment of the microfouling.