Сomparative analysis of the red king crab fouling communities in fjords of the Barents Sea
Fouling communities of the introduced red king crab are investigated in two fjords of the Barents Sea - Sayda Bay and Dolgaya Bay. In total, 12 species were found on the crabs in the Sayda Bay and 13 species - in the Dolgaya Bay. Cirripedian barnacles Balanus crenatus, amphipods Ischyrocerus commensalis, and blue mussels Mytilus edulis were the most abundant among epibionts in both fjords. The extensiveness and mean intensity of the common species were higher in the Dolgaya Bay that is likely associated with anthropogenic pressure. The crabs infestation by associated species in the fjords (with domination of typical attached species) is slightly different from their fouling in more open coastal waters (with relatively high abundance of mobile symbionts) because of different conditions of the fouling organisms larvae settling. The crabs fouling features could be used as biological indicators of environmental conditions in the coastal waters of Kola Peninsula.