Description of biotope or habitat type
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Infralittoral mobile clean sand with sparse fauna
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), Very weak (negligible) |
| Substratum | Medium to fine 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 | Epifauna |
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
Medium to fine sandy sediment in shallow water, often formed into dunes, on exposed or tide-swept coasts often contains very little infauna due to the mobility of the substratum. Some opportunistic populations of infaunal amphipods may occur, particularly in less mobile examples in conjunction with low numbers of mysids such as Gastrosaccus spinifer, the polychaete Nephtys cirrosa and the isopod Eurydice pulchra. Sand eels Ammodytes sp. may occasionally be observed in association with this biotope (and others). This biotope is more mobile than SS.SSa.IFiSa.NcirBat and may be closely related to LS.LSa.MoSa.BarSa on the shore. Common epifaunal species such as Pagurus bernhardus, Liocarcinus depurator, Carcinus maenas and Asterias rubens may be encountered and are the most conspicuous species present.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ammodytes tobianus | 46 | 61-80% | |
| Pagurus bernhardus | 41 | 81-100% | |
| Pontocrates arenarius | 17 | 1-20% | |
| Urothoe brevicornis | 15 | 1-20% | |
| Gastrosaccus spinifer | 13 | 1-20% | |
| Nephtys cirrosa | 11 | 1-20% | |
| Pleuronectes platessa | 6 | 21-40% | |
| Eurydice pulchra | 6 | 1-20% | |
| Liocarcinus depurator | 4 | Rare | 21-40% |
| Nephtys | 4 | 1-20% | |
| Ammodytes | 3 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Bathyporeia elegans | 1 | 1-20% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
SS.SSa.SSaVS.MoSaVS
SS.SSa.SSaVS.MoSaVS occurs in reduced salinities but differs in that the sparse fauna of SS.SSa.IFiSa.IMoSa are not tolerant of reduced salinities.
SS.SSa.IFiSa.NcirBat
Where sediment disturbance decreases in less exposed or weaker tidal currents, SS.SSa.IFiSa.IMoSa may grade into SS.SSa.IFiSa.NcirBat with an increase in species richness as the environment becomes more stable.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SSa.IFiSa.IMoSa | Infralittoral mobile clean sand with sparse fauna |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SSa.IFiSa.IMoSa | Infralittoral mobile clean sand with sparse fauna |
| 1997 (97.06) | SS.IGS.FaS.Mob | Sparse fauna in infralittoral mobile clean sand |