Journal of Environmental Biology

Biofouling attractants from a brown marine alga Ecklonia cava

M. Sidharthan, G.S. Viswanadh, Kyoung Ho Kim, Hyuk Jun Kim and H.W. Shin*

Department of Marine Biotechnology, Soonchunhyang University, Asan City-336 745, South Korea

(Received: June 21, 2005 ; Revised received: January 10, 2006 ; Accepted: February 02, 2006)

Abstract: In recent years, industrial pollutants and the mountain forest fire ashes released into seawater cause damage to the marine environment, mainly it reduces the algal productivity in the inter tidal region. To get recover from the stress due to pollutants and to increase the growth and development of biofouling algae (benthic organisms), Ecklonia cava extract was investigated for its biofouling attracting efficiency. Bioactive guided fractions of E. cava extract derived from column chromatography were tested against spore attachment of a fouling alga, Ulva pertusa. Fraction B showed increased spore attachment rate with a maximum of 92±5%. This fraction was further analysed on HPLC, GC-Mass and NMR, deduced as pentadecanoic acid.

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