Bioerosion describes the
erosion of hard
ocean substrates – and less often
terrestrial substrates – by living organisms. Marine bioerosion can be caused by
mollusks,
polychaete worms,
phoronids,
sponges,
crustaceans,
echinoids, and
fish; it can occur on
coastlines, on
coral reefs, and on
ships; its mechanisms include biotic boring, drilling, rasping, and scraping. On dry land, bioerosion is typically performed by
pioneer plants or plant-like organisms such as
lichen, and mostly chemical (e.g. by
acidic secretions on
limestone) or mechanical (e.g. by
roots growing into cracks) in nature.
