Littoral rock
Description (English)
Littoral rock includes habitats of bedrock, boulders and cobbles which occur in the intertidal zone (the area of the shore between high and low tides) and the splash zone. The upper limit is marked by the top of the lichen zone and the lower limit by the top of the laminarian kelp zone. There are many physical variables affecting rocky shore communiti es - wave exposure, salinity, temperature and the diurnal emersion and immersion of the shore. Wave exposure is most commonly used to characterise littoral rock, from 'extremely exposed' on the open coast to 'extremely sheltered' in enclosed inlets. Exposed shores tend to support faunal-dominated communities of barnacles and mussels and some robust seaweeds. Sheltered shores are most notable for their dense cover of fucoid seaweeds, with distinctive zones occurring down the shore. In between these extremes of wave exposure, on moderately exposed shores, mosaics of seaweeds and barnacles are more typical.
The vertical continuation of littoral rock as sea cliffs, is considered part of the coastal habitat section (N)
Source: EUNIS habitat classification
Quick facts
| EUNIS habitat type | code MA1 |
|---|
Vegetation types
Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)
Not availableSpecies mentioned in habitat description
Other classifications
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012) | A1 | Littoral rock and other hard substrata | same |
History
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | A1 | Littoral rock and other hard substrata | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | A1 | Littoral rock and other hard substrata | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 | A1 | Littoral rock and other hard substrata | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 | A1 | Littoral rock and other hard substrata | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811 | A1 | Littoral rock and other hard substrata | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712 | A1 | Littoral rock | same | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905 | 11.29 | Rocky shore littoral communities | narrower | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905 | 11.291 | Mediolittoral fringe rocks | narrower | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905 | 11.293 | Upper mediolittoral rocks | narrower | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905 | 11.292 | Lower mediolittoral rocks | narrower | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997 | 11.292 | Lower mediolittoral rocks | narrower | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997 | 11.29 | Rocky shore littoral communities | narrower | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997 | 11.291 | Mediolittoral fringe rocks | narrower | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997 | 11.293 | Upper mediolittoral rocks | narrower | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996 | 11.291 | narrower | ||
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996 | 11.293 | narrower | ||
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996 | 11.29 | narrower | ||
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996 | 11.292 | narrower | ||
| MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland) | LR | Littoral rock (and other hard substrata) | same |
