Description of biotope or habitat type
To understand more about what this page is describing, see How to use the classification. See also How to cite.
Circalittoral rock (and other hard substrata)
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt), Variable (18-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Extremely exposed, Very exposed, Exposed, Moderately exposed, Sheltered, Very sheltered, Extremely sheltered |
| Tidal streams | Very strong (>6 kn), Strong (3-6 kn), Moderately strong (1-3 kn), Weak (>1 kn), Very weak (negligible) |
| Substratum | Bedrock, boulders, cobbles, mixed substrata |
| Zone | Circalittoral |
| Depth Band | 5-10 m, 10-20 m, 20-30 m, 30-50 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
Circalittoral rock is present all around the coast of the United Kingdom, and is characterised by animal dominated communities (a departure from the algae dominated communities in the infralittoral zone). The circalittoral zone can itself be split into two sub-zones; upper circalittoral (foliose red algae present) and lower circalittoral (foliose red algae absent). The depth at which the circalittoral zone begins is directly dependent on the intensity of light reaching the seabed; in highly turbid conditions, the circalittoral zone may begin just below water level at mean low water springs (MLWS). The biotopes identified in the field can be broadly assigned to one of three energy level categories: high, moderate and low energy circalittoral rock (used to define the habitat complex level). The character of the fauna varies enormously and is affected mainly by wave action, tidal stream strength, salinity, turbidity, the degree of scouring and rock topography. It is typical for the community not to be dominated by single species, as is common in shore and infralittoral habitats, but rather comprise a mosaic of species. This, coupled with the range of influencing factors, makes circalittoral rock a difficult area to satisfactorily classify; particular care should therefore be taken in matching species and habitat data to the classification.
Situation
No situation data available.
Temporal variation
No temporal variation data available.
Characterising species
Characterising species data not applicable.
Similar biotopes or habitat types
Not applicable or unknown.
Classification history of this biotope or habitat type
| Classification version | Code |
|---|---|
| 1996 (6.95) | SR (part) |