Surface-associated fucoxanthin mediates settlement of bacterial epiphytes on the rockweed <i>Fucus vesiculosus</i> SahaM. RemptM. GrosserK. PohnertG. WeinbergerF. 2011 <div><p>The chemical defence against microfouling in the brown seaweed <i>Fucus vesiculosus</i> was investigated and an inhibitor of bacterial settlement was isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation of non-polar surface extracts. UV-vis and mass spectrometry were used to identify the compound as the carotenoid fucoxanthin. The metabolite was tested at the natural concentration (in a surface volume based assay) against the settlement of four bacterial strains isolated from <i>F. vesiculosus</i> and 11 strains isolated from co-occurring algae and marine sediment. Surface concentrations between 1.4 and 6 μg cm<sup>−2</sup> resulted in 50% inhibition of four of these isolates, which were studied in more detail using a surface area-based assay, while a fifth isolate proved to be less sensitive. The presence of fucoxanthin on the surface of <i>F. vesiculosus</i> was demonstrated with two different surface extraction methods. Fucoxanthin was detected at concentrations between 0.7 and 9 μg cm<sup>−2</sup> on the algal surface. Fucoxanthin was still present at the algal surface after removal of associated diatoms through mechanical cleaning and germanium dioxide treatment and was thus mainly produced by <i>F. vesiculosus</i> rather than by diatoms. Thus, the photosynthetic pigment fucoxanthin appears to be ecologically relevant as a surface-associated antimicrobial agent, acting against the settlement of bacteria on the surface of the macroalga <i>F. vesiculosus</i>.</p> </div>