Marine biofouling communities: a global synthesis of research trends, knowledge gaps, and future directions

Marine biofouling communities are diverse assemblages of organisms that colonize hard surfaces and serve as model systems for testing ecological theory due to their rapid turnover, ubiquity in coastal habitats, and responsiveness to environmental change. Despite their ecological and economic importance, a global synthesis of previous work is lacking. We conducted a systematic literature review and topic modeling analysis of 434 studies (published between 1965 and 2024) and identified 6 primary research topics: spatio-temporal dynamics, recruitment dynamics, biological invasions, habitat structure and species interactions, disturbance, and biofouling management. Results revealed significant temporal shifts, with early research focused on foundational ecology and later studies emphasizing bioinvasions and management strategies to minimize unwanted growth, highlighting strong links between biofouling communities and global drivers of change. Geographic biases were prominent, with most studies conducted in temperate Northern Hemisphere regions, leaving polar and tropical regions understudied. Methodologically, most studies used artificial substrates in human-impacted environments, revealing a disconnect from natural ecological processes and material realism. To improve our understanding of biofouling during rapid environmental change, we recommend expanding geographic and habitat coverage, employing ecologically realistic substrates, integrating emerging technologies for rapid species annotations and identification (including non-indigenous species), and fostering interdisciplinary approaches connecting fundamental ecology with applied management. Given rising marine urbanization and climate-driven species redistributions, biofouling communities remain a powerful yet underutilized model system for monitoring environmental change, enabling early detection of biodiversity shifts and informing adaptive management strategies of coastal ecosystems.