Hello everyone! My research with my barnacles is going awesome. I've identified most of the species that were living on the settling plate and have gotten some awesome results. I had a student, Anna S, comment on one of my old posts with the following questions. A quick definition of a barnacle might help shed some light on what exactly kind of organism we're dealing with here. "Barnacles are encrusters, attaching themselves permanently to a hard substrate."
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| In regards to question 1 |
- Hi Charlotte, I was wondering do any organisms eat barnacles, if so, what kind of organisms? Humans are actually a big predator to the barnacles. For example, the Goose Barnacle is a huge delicacy in Spain and Portugal. Doesn't look very appetizing. As for other predators, there are many fish that will eat the larvae stage of a barnacle. Crabs might also nibble on some barnacles.
2. Have you found out any new information about what kind of species grow on the settling plates, if yes, what kind? On the settling plate there were a variety of different colored barnacles. Looking at a brochure for invasive species, I noticed there were similarities to a "Green Mussel". They were first found in Tampa Bay, Florida, in 1999. You can currently find them throughout southeastern U.S. and especially in Indian River Lagoon.
3. Hello Charlotte, I was wondering, what are barnacle's common habitats like? Thanks! So barnacles like to attach themselves to anything that moves. Basically some examples are whales, boats, crabs, rocks, buoys, and even my little settling plate. Some species are considered parasitic, but they actually don't harm any of the animals they attach themselves to. Some animals might not even notice them.
Thank you for your questions!!!
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