Description of biotope or habitat type
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Circalittoral fouling faunal communities
Physical habitat description
| Salinity | Full (30-35 ppt) |
|---|---|
| Wave exposure | Moderately exposed, Extremely sheltered |
| Tidal streams | Moderately strong (1-3 kn) |
| Substratum | Artifical |
| Zone | Circalittoral |
| Depth Band | 5-10 m, 10-20 m, 20-30 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
This biotope complex contains two biotopes which, although have different physical habitat characteristics, share the fact that they colonise new areas of artificial substrata relatively quickly. The Ascidiella aspersa fouling biotope (Aasp) is found on wave-sheltered artificial substrata such as discarded fishing nets/mooring lines. A separate fouling biotope (AdigMsen) is described for open coast wrecks. This biotope has a characteristic faunal community of Alcyonium digitatum and the anemone Metridium senile. Other species recorded in this complex (primarily under the AdigMsen biotope) include the hydroid Nemertesia antennina, the anemones Actinothoe sphyrodeta and Cylista elegans, the cup coral Caryophyllia smithii, the bryozoans Flustra foliacea and Crisularia plumosa, the crabs Necora puber, Cancer pagurus and Maja squinado and the lobster Homarus gammarus.
Situation
No situation data available.
Temporal variation
No temporal variation data available.
Characterising species
| Taxon | Relative importance of taxon for defining this community (%) | Typical abundance - SACFOR scale | % of core records where taxon was recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metridium senile | 23 | Frequent | 61-80% |
| Alcyonium digitatum | 15 | Occasional | 61-80% |
| Necora puber | 12 | Rare | 61-80% |
| Ascidiella aspersa | 8 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Cancer pagurus | 7 | Rare | 41-60% |
| Actinothoe sphyrodeta | 5 | Occasional | 41-60% |
| Maja squinado | 5 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Crisularia plumosa | 2 | Occasional | 1-20% |
| Flustra foliacea | 2 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Nemertesia antennina | 2 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Caryophyllia smithii | 1 | Occasional | 21-40% |
| Cylista elegans | 1 | Frequent | 21-40% |
| Homarus gammarus | 1 | Rare | 21-40% |
Similar biotopes or habitat types
Not applicable or unknown.