Description of biotope or habitat type
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Sparse fauna on highly mobile sublittoral shingle (cobbles and pebbles)
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Extremely exposed, Exposed |
| Tidal streams | Moderately strong (1-3 kn), Weak (>1 kn) |
| Substratum | Shingle and/or pebbles |
| Zone | Infralittoral |
| Depth Band | 5-10 m, 10-20 m, 20-30 m, 30-50 m |
| Other Features |
Biotope origin
| Derived using data from | Video/still |
| Faunal group | Epifauna/infauna |
Download comparative physical and biological data. The comparative tables enable a rapid comparison of the species composition and principal physical characteristics between a given set of biotopes.
- Records used to define the biotope (core records)
- Other records assigned to this biotope, marked as 'certain'
- Other records assigned to this biotope, marked as 'uncertain'
- Predicted extent of the level 3 (for sublittoral rock & deep sea) or 4 (for sublittoral sediment) habitat
Point data based on records in the UK Marine Recorder Snapshot. Predicted habitat extent is from UKSeaMap.
Description
Sublittoral clean shingle and pebble habitats with a lack of conspicuous fauna. Unstable, rounded pebbles and stones (as opposed to sub-angular cobbles, which are often found lying on or embedded in other sediment) that are strongly affected by tidal steams and/or wave action can support few animals and are, consequently, faunally impoverished. The species composition of this biotope may be highly variable seasonally and is likely to comprise of low numbers of robust polychaetes or bivalves with occasional epibiota including echinoderms and crustacea such as Liocarcinus spp. and Pagurus spp. In more settled periods there may be colonisation by anemones such as Urticina felina and small populations of hydroids and Bryozoa.
Situation
This biotope is found in marine inlets with very strong tidal currents as well as in very wave exposed open coast environments.
Temporal variation
No temporal data available.
Characterising species
| Taxon | Relative importance of taxon for defining this community (%) | Typical abundance - SACFOR scale | % of core records where taxon was recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaetopterus variopedatus | 100 | Rare | 81-100% |
| Spisula elliptica | 100 | 81-100% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
Not applicable or unknown.
Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SCS.ICS.SSh | Sparse fauna on highly mobile sublittoral shingle (cobbles and pebbles) |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SCS.ICS.SSh | Sparse fauna on highly mobile sublittoral shingle (cobbles and pebbles) |