Title	Temporal and Seasonal Variation in a Subtropical Macrobenthic Community on Artificial Reef Materials
Year	1999-2000
Organization	The University of Science and Technology
Objective	To examine effects of substratum, season and length of submersion on the development of a subtidal epibiota on four types of AR materials .
Study area	Yan Chau Tong Marine Park, Hong Kong
Method	Test panels were held in racks and hung on AR20 in January 1999. They were retrieved quarterly and the last one was retrieved in January 2001. Fouling organisms on the panels were examined and compared.
Results	1. Season and length of submersion had strong influence on the total biomass and community structure. 2. Type of substratum had very little impact on the total biomass or structure and of benthic community. 3. Season of submersion determined species composition of newly submerged surfaces. In spring and summer, tubeworms were the most abundant. In autumn and winter, barnacles and tunicates dominated. 4. Community succession was not obvious in the first year of submersion as it was intermingled with strong seasonal settlement, growth and death of barnacle and tunicates . 5. In the second year of submersion, green mussels and tunicates settled and grew to occupy most of the panel surface, forming an assemblage characteristic of climax communities in local subtidal waters.
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