Description of biotope or habitat type
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Capitella capitata and Tubificoides spp. in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sediment
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Reduced (18-30ppt), Variable (18-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Moderately exposed, Sheltered, Extremely sheltered |
| Tidal streams | Strong (3-6 kn), Moderately strong (1-3 kn), Very weak (negligible) |
| Substratum | Cohesive muddy sediment, sandy mud |
| Zone | Infralittoral |
| Depth Band | 0-5 m, 5-10 m, 10-20 m |
| Other Features | Possible organic enrichment or physical disturbance. |
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
Reduced or variable salinity muddy sediment characterised by the Capitella capitata species complex with a relatively low species richness. Large numbers of the oligochaetes Tubificoides spp. may be found in conjunction with C. capitata, along with other species such as Marenzellaria sp., Macoma balthica, Arenicola marina and Eteone longa. In some estuaries this biotope may also include high numbers of the polychaete Ophryotrocha. This biotope usually has a moderate organic content and is found away from tidal channels in estuaries. The presence of dense Capitella has classically been associated with organically enriched and physically disturbed habitats in the marine environment (Warren 1977; Pearson & Rosenberg 1978) and areas of higher organic loads in estuaries will typically fall into the biotope SS.SMu.ISaMu.Cap. Where Capitella is less abundant and accompanied by other typical estuarine species the dominance of Capitella may be associated with other natural factors including the occurrence of a competitive refuge for C. capitata in the reduced-salinity environment (Wolff 1973).
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 | Typical abundance - (count per m2) | % of core records where taxon was recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capitella capitata | 60 | Frequent | 119 | 81-100% |
| Tubificoides benedii | 10 | Frequent | 84 | 21-40% |
| Marenzelleria | 7 | Common | 79 | 21-40% |
| Macoma balthica | 4 | 4 | 41-60% | |
| Oligochaeta | 3 | Frequent | 129 | 41-60% |
| Arenicola marina | 3 | 6 | 21-40% | |
| Eteone longa | 2 | Common | 6 | 21-40% |
| Nematoda | 1 | 2 | 21-40% | |
| Corophium volutator | 1 | 8 | 21-40% | |
| Alitta virens | 1 | 5 | 1-20% | |
| Pygospio elegans | 1 | 5 | 21-40% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
SS.SMu.SMuVS.OlVS
SS.SMu.SMuVS.OlVS can be separated from SS.SMu.SMuVS.CapTubi by a swap in the dominant species from C. capitata to Tubificoides spp. and SS.SMu.SMuVS.OlVS frequently occurs in lower salinity.
SS.SMu.SMuVS.MoMu
SS.SMu.SMuVS.MoMu may contain a similar suite of species to SS.SMu.SMuVS.CapTubi although in lower abundance. Only a description of the sediment consistency in the field would allow positive classification.
SS.SMu.ISaMu.Cap
SS.SMu.ISaMu.Cap tends to occur in fully marine conditions or in estuarine areas of high organic enrichment and can be distinguished by the reduced species richness as compared to SS.SMu.SMuVS.CapTubi.Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 (15.03) | SS.SMu.SMuVS.CapTubi | Capitella capitata and Tubificoides spp. in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sediment |
| 2004 (04.05) | SS.SMu.SMuVS.CapTubi | Capitella capitata and Tubificoides spp. in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sediment |
| 1997 (97.06) | SS.IMU.EstMu.CapTub | Capitella capitata and Tubificoides spp. in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sediment |