Barnacles are hermaphroditic, and most of them are cross-fertilized. In the process of reproduction, sperm is sent to other barnacles with flexible tubules to fertilize the eggs. The fertilized egg undergoes metamorphosis and develops from larva to barnacle adult.
In tropical waters, such creatures can reproduce and attach all year round, and the species and quantity decrease with the increase of offshore distance. Barnacles attached to coastal docks, ship bottoms and submarine cables. It often causes great harm. For example, barnacles attached to the hull greatly reduce the speed of navigation.
Barnacles and gooseneck barnacles have long been mistaken for shellfish because their bodies are covered with calcareous shells. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the truth came out: biologists observed larvae and found that they were not shellfish, but crustaceans.
Some people confuse barnacles with gooseneck barnacles and think that they are both barnacles. In fact, barnacles, commonly known as "horse teeth", belong to barnacles family; Goose-necked barnacles, commonly known as "sea chicken feet" and "dog claw snails", belong to the bust family. So strictly speaking, gooseneck barnacles are not real barnacles.
In fact, barnacles and gooseneck barnacles can be distinguished only by their appearance. Barnacles have no handles, and the conical body is like an ultra-mini "volcano". Goose-necked barnacles are made up of a soft cylindrical handle and a dozen inflorescence heads wrapped by shell plates, which are shaped like the neck of a goose, hence the name.
The control method of barnacles:
1, physical contamination prevention and control law
The most advanced physical method is low surface energy coating antifouling method, which mainly includes fluoropolymer and silicone resin. For example, for various homogeneous substances and facilities submerged in seawater, such as ships or submerged structural facilities, we can reduce the surface energy of attachments or use materials with low surface energy to change the color and attachment environment of attachments to achieve the purpose of preventing attachment.
2, chemical pollution prevention methods:
Use chemicals to poison marine fouling organisms and prevent them from attaching. For example, seawater cooling, circulation system, offshore platform and seawater pipeline system in ports that use seawater resources can be prevented by electrolysis of seawater.
3. Biological antifouling methods
Bioactive substances are used as antifouling agents to prevent fouling by marine fouling organisms; Bioactive substances with antifouling effect include natural compounds such as organic acids, inorganic acids, lactones, terpenoids, phenols, sterols and indoles. For example, extracting bioactive substances from natural pollution-free peppers and compounding them with organic clay can give full play to the activity of capsaicin. Solved the problems of low content and high performance.