Marine Biology

Nature of surface

       A hard, smooth surface generally provides a more secure footing for fouling organisms than a soft material. For example, the attachment on hard vulcanized rubber is much stronger than it is on soft rubber. Some organisms can even attach on the smoothed surface objects .On a smooth polished surface of stainless steel, a barnacle ( Balanus eburneus ) can obtain an exceptionally firm foothold. It is very difficult to remove such organisms even with metal scraping tools.