Description of biotope or habitat type
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Dense Lanice conchilega and other polychaetes in tide-swept infralittoral sand and mixed gravelly sand
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Exposed, Moderately exposed, Sheltered |
| Tidal streams | Strong (3-6 kn), Moderately strong (1-3 kn), Weak (>1 kn), Very weak (negligible) |
| Substratum | Medium to very fine gravelly sand |
| Zone | Infralittoral |
| Depth Band | 0-5 m, 5-10 m, 10-20 m |
| Other Features |
Biotope origin
| Derived using data from | Various |
| Faunal group | 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
Dense beds of Lanice conchilega occur in coarse to medium fine gravelly sand in the shallow sublittoral, where there are strong tidal streams or wave action. Several other species of polychaete also occur as infauna e.g. Spiophanes bombyx, Scoloplos armiger, Chaetozone setosa and Magelona mirabilis. Lanice beds are found in a wide range of habitats including muddier mixed sediment. The dense Lanice biotope (LS.LSa.MuSa.Lan) on certain lower shores may be a littoral extension of the current biotope. The presence of L. conchilega in high numbersmay, over time, stabilise the sediment to the extent where a more diverse community may develop. Possibly, as a result of this, there is a high level of variation with regard the infauna found in SS.SCS.ICS.SLan. It is likely that a number of sub-biotopes may subsequently be identified for this biotope. Offshore from the Wash and the North Norfolk coast Lanice beds are often found intermixed with Sabellaria spinulosa beds in muddier mixed sediment, particularly in the channels between the shallow sandbanks, which are prevalent in this area. It is possible that the presence of Lanice has stabilised the habitat sufficiently to allow the deposition of finer material, which has subsequently assisted the development of S. spinulosa. It may be more accurate to define SS.SCS.ICS.SLan as an epibiotic biotope which overlays a variety of infaunal biotopes (e.g. SS.SSa.IFiSa.NcirBat in finer sands and SS.SSa.CMuSa.AalbNuc or SS.SSa.IMuSa.FfabMag in slightly muddier areas).
Situation
No situation data available.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lanice conchilega | 63 | Abundant | 81-100% |
| Lanice conchilega | 34 | Abundant | 81-100% |
| Spiophanes bombyx | 20 | Common | 61-80% |
| Chaetozone setosa | 7 | Abundant | 41-60% |
| Carcinus maenas | 6 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Asterias rubens | 5 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Scoloplos armiger | 4 | Abundant | 61-80% |
| Abra alba | 3 | Common | 41-60% |
| Ensis | 3 | Frequent | 1-20% |
| Magelona mirabilis | 3 | Frequent | 41-60% |
| Nephtys cirrosa | 3 | Common | 21-40% |
| Echinocardium cordatum | 2 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Pagurus bernhardus | 2 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Phyllodoce maculata | 1 | 21-40% | |
| Arenicola marina | 1 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Bathyporeia pelagica | 1 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Chorda filum | 1 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Diastylis bradyi | 1 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Eteone longa | 1 | 41-60% | |
| Eumida bahusiensis | 1 | Common | 21-40% |
| Liocarcinus depurator | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Nephtys | 1 | Abundant | 21-40% |
| Pomatoschistus minutus | 1 | Frequent | 21-40% |
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.SLan | Dense Lanice conchilega and other polychaetes in tide-swept infralittoral sand and mixed gravelly sand |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SCS.ICS.SLan | Dense Lanice conchilega and other polychaetes in tide-swept infralittoral sand and mixed gravelly sand |
| 1997 (97.06) | SS.IGS.FaS.Lcon | Dense Lanice conchilega and other polychaetes in tide-swept infralittoral sand |