bioeroders

Bioeroders are organisms that remove solid material from substrates through biological activity, causing erosion. They operate on rocks, shells, corals, and other materials in marine and terrestrial environments, and their activity can be both destructive and ecologically productive. Bioerosion results from the combined effects of mechanical scraping, drilling, and chemical dissolution driven by the organisms’ actions.

Major groups include macroborers and microborers. Macroborers such as boring sponges (for example Cliona species), shipworms and other mollusks, and certain polychaete worms bore into calcareous substrates, wood, or shells. Microborers include endolithic algae, cyanobacteria, and fungi that inhabit tiny pores and cracks within rocks, shells, or corals. These organisms often operate seasonally and over long time scales, gradually weakening and displacing the host material.

Mechanisms of bioerosion include physical boring, rasping, and scraping that mechanically remove material, as well as chemical dissolution through the production of organic acids and other compounds that dissolve minerals. Some organisms combine both strategies, accelerating deterioration. Substrates affected include limestone, coral, other calcareous rocks, shells, porous stones, and, in human contexts, concrete and plaster.

Ecological and geological significance encompasses contributions to carbonate cycling, creation of microhabitats, and influences on reef and coastal architecture and sediment production. Rates of bioerosion vary with organism identity, environmental conditions, substrate type, and exposure.

Human relevance is notable in the deterioration of cultural heritage artifacts, statues, monuments, and shipwrecks, where bioerosion accelerates decay. Studying bioerosion informs understanding of past ocean chemistry, sediment dynamics, and coastal ecosystem development.