Sessile communities provide habitat for feeding, reproduction and protection to a diverse mobile fauna. Along succession, the growth and overgrowth of three-dimensional sessile organisms generate structural complexity and microhabitats for mobile organisms. Most studies focus on one species or group of the sessile fauna as a habitat provider, but here we investigated the whole community, using fouling communities as a model. We tested the hypothesis that they would gain structural complexity along succession, resulting in an increase in abundance and biomass, and compositional changes of the associated mobile groups. The organisms were obtained from communities growing on PVC plates left in the water for 6, 9 and 12 months. Early succession fouling communities (6 months) were mostly flatter, dominated by encrusting bryozoans and more empty space and cover of delicate hydrozoans and filamentous algae. Advanced-succession fouling communities (9 and 12 months) showed a biomass increment and compositional changes by the increased cover of structurally complex sessile organisms, such as arborescent bryozoans and sponges. Mobile groups showed higher abundance and biomass, and a different composition at later stages. Thus, our results emphasise how the structural complexity provided by fouling organisms and the changes over succession may mediate the changes in the associated mobile fauna.

固着群落为多样化的移动动物群提供了觅食、繁殖和保护的栖息地。随着演替，三维固着生物的生长和过度生长为移动生物产生结构复杂性和微生境。大多数研究侧重于作为栖息地提供者的无柄动物群的一个物种或群体，但在这里我们调查了整个群落，使用污垢群落作为模型。我们检验了这样的假设，即它们会随着演替而获得结构复杂性，从而导致丰度和生物量增加，以及相关移动群的组成变化。这些生物是从在水中放置 6、9 和 12 个月的 PVC 板上生长的群落中获得的。早期连续污染社区（6 个月）大多平坦，主要由结壳的苔藓虫和更多的空间以及脆弱的水生动物和丝状藻类覆盖。高级连续污染群落（9 个月和 12 个月）由于结构复杂的固着生物（例如树状苔藓动物和海绵）的覆盖增加而显示出生物量增加和组成变化。移动组显示出更高的丰度和生物量，以及后期的不同组成。因此，我们的结果强调了污损生物提供的结构复杂性和演替的变化如何调节相关移动动物群的变化。如树状苔藓虫和海绵。移动组显示出更高的丰度和生物量，以及后期的不同组成。因此，我们的结果强调了污损生物提供的结构复杂性和演替的变化如何调节相关移动动物群的变化。如树状苔藓虫和海绵。移动组显示出更高的丰度和生物量，以及后期的不同组成。因此，我们的结果强调了污损生物提供的结构复杂性和演替的变化如何调节相关移动动物群的变化。