Description of biotope or habitat type
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Mytilus edulis and Fabricia stellaris in littoral mixed sediment
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Sheltered, Very sheltered, Extremely sheltered |
| Tidal streams | |
| Substratum | Mixed sediment, shell debris |
| Zone | |
| Depth Band | |
| Other Features |
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'
Point data based on records in the UK Marine Recorder Snapshot.
Description
Pebbles, gravel, sand and shell debris with mud in sheltered Firths with a strandline of fucoid algae. The fauna is characterised by juvenile mussels Mytilus edulis, often in very high numbers. The nemertean worm Lineus spp. may be abundant and oligochaetes are common. Polychaetes such as Pygospio elegans, Scoloplos armiger and Fabricia stellaris may be present in high densities. Fabricia stellaris is typically found amongst algal holdfasts and between cobbles on rocky shores. The bivalves Macoma balthica and Cerastoderma edule, typical of muddy sediments, characterise the community. The validity of this biotope is uncertain, as the only available data, from the Dornoch Firth and the Moray Firth, are poor. Its position within the classification, as a strandline community, is also very uncertain, but there is not enough information available for a better description or classification at this stage.
Situation
Occurs on sheltered shores of the Dornoch Firth and Moray Firth.
Temporal variation
Not known.
Characterising species
| Taxon | Relative importance of taxon for defining this community (%) | Typical abundance - SACFOR scale | Typical abundance - (count per m2) | % of core records where taxon was recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macoma balthica | 37 | Abundant | 37 | 81-100% |
| Pygospio elegans | 13 | Abundant | 100 | 81-100% |
| Oligochaeta | 12 | Common | 83 | 81-100% |
| Peringia ulvae | 11 | Abundant | 67 | 61-80% |
| Mytilus edulis | 11 | Abundant | 100 | 81-100% |
| Fabricia stellaris | 6 | Common | 89 | 81-100% |
| Scoloplos armiger | 6 | Super abundant | 72 | 61-80% |
| Cerastoderma edule | 2 | Abundant | 50 | 41-60% |
| Lineus | 2 | Abundant | 75 | 61-80% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
LS.LBR.LMus.Myt
Occurs on mixed substrates, often under variable salinity, lower on the shore. Adult M. edulis form beds on the surface of the sediment. LR.LLR.Few polychaetes are recorded for LS.LBR.LS.LMus.Myt, though that may result from a lack of infaunal sampling. A range of rocky shore species occur attached to scattered cobbles and boulders, including LR.HLR.MusB.Semibalanus balanoides, Austrominius modestus, Littorina spp., and Fucus vesiculosus.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code |
|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | LS.LSa.St.MytFab |