Description of biotope or habitat type
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Infralittoral fouling seaweed communities
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt), Variable (18-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Moderately exposed, Sheltered, Very sheltered, Extremely sheltered |
| Tidal streams | Moderately strong (1-3 kn), Weak (>1 kn), Very weak (negligible) |
| Substratum | Artificial |
| Zone | Infralittoral |
| Depth Band | 0-5 m, 5-10 m, 10-20 m |
| 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'
- 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
Moderately exposed to wave-sheltered artificial substrata (such as steel wrecks/concrete pilings/cable debris etc) subject to moderately strong to weak tidal streams in the infralittoral zone. This biotope complex is characterised by a dense covering of filamentous and foliose algae on vertical as well as the upper faces of the substrata. Although there are no biotopes currently defined under this biotope, due to the low number of records, it is suspected that this has been highly 'under-recorded', and that additional records will be added in the near future, leading to the definition of biotopes.
Situation
No situation data available.
Temporal variation
No temporal variation data available.
Characterising species
| Taxon | Typical abundance - SACFOR scale | % of core records where taxon was recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Ceramium | Frequent | |
| Cutleria multifida | Rare | |
| Desmarestia viridis | Occasional | |
| Eudesme virescens | Common | |
| Filamentous brown algae | Abundant | |
| Filamentous green algae | Abundant | |
| Filamentous red algae | Abundant | |
| Foliose brown algae | Abundant | |
| Foliose green algae | Abundant | |
| Foliose red algae | Abundant | |
| Laminaria | Occasional | |
| Nitophyllum punctatum | Occasional | |
| Phycodrys rubens | Frequent | |
| Plocamium cartilagineum | Common | |
| Polysiphonia | Frequent | |
| Symphyocladiella parasitica | Frequent | |
| Vertebrata byssoides | Frequent |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
Not applicable or unknown.
Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code | Habitat name |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 (97.06) | SS.IMX.Lden | Lithophyllum dentatum maerl beds on infralittoral muddy sediment |