EUNIS habitat classification 2017 > M - Marine benthic habitats > MA1 - Littoral rock > MA12 - Atlantic littoral rock

Atlantic littoral rock

Description (English)

Atlantic 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 communities - 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.

Source: EUNIS habitat classification

Quick facts

EUNIS habitat type	code MA12
Relation to	Resolution 4 habitat type (used for designation of Emerald sites)

Legal status

Relation to other habitat types mentioned in legal instruments

Legal text	Annex	Name in legal text	Code in legal text	Habitat type relationship	More information
Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats	Revised Annex I of Resolution 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention on endangered natural habitats types using the EUNIS habitat classification (year of revision 2010)	Estuaries	1130	Overlap	https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc....ckColorLogged=FDC864 Resolution No. 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention lists endangered natural habitats requiring specific conservation measures [and the designation of Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCIs) forming the Emerald network]
Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats	Revised Annex I of Resolution 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention on endangered natural habitats types using the EUNIS habitat classification (year of revision 2010)	Large shallow inlets and bays	1160	Overlap	https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc....ckColorLogged=FDC864 Resolution No. 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention lists endangered natural habitats requiring specific conservation measures [and the designation of Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCIs) forming the Emerald network]
Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats	Revised Annex I of Resolution 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention on endangered natural habitats types using the EUNIS habitat classification (year of revision 2010)	Reefs	1170	Narrower	https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc....ckColorLogged=FDC864 Resolution No. 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention lists endangered natural habitats requiring specific conservation measures [and the designation of Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCIs) forming the Emerald network]
Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats	Revised Annex I of Resolution 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention on endangered natural habitats types using the EUNIS habitat classification (year of revision 2010)	Submerged or partially submerged sea caves	8330	Overlap	https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc....ckColorLogged=FDC864 Resolution No. 4 (1996) of the Bern Convention lists endangered natural habitats requiring specific conservation measures [and the designation of Areas of Special Conservation Interest (ASCIs) forming the Emerald network]

Vegetation types

Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)

Not available

Species mentioned in habitat description

Not available

Other classifications

Classification	Code	Habitat type name	Relationship type
EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012)	A1.4	Features of littoral rock	overlap
EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012)	A1.1	High energy littoral rock	overlap
EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012)	A1	Littoral rock and other hard substrata	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012)	A1.3	Low energy littoral rock	overlap
EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012)	A1.2	Moderate energy littoral rock	overlap
European Red List of Habitats	NEAA1.24	Macaronesian communities of eulittoral rock moderately exposed to wave action	wider
European Red List of Habitats	NEAA1.16	Macaronesian communities of exposed eulittoral rock	wider
European Red List of Habitats	NEAA1.34	Macaronesian communities of lower eulittoral rock sheltered from wave action	wider
European Red List of Habitats	NEAA1.14	Macaronesian communities of lower eulittoral rock very exposed to wave action	wider
European Red List of Habitats	NEAA1.13	Macaronesian communities of upper eulittoral rock	wider

For relation to plant communities (syntaxa), see Vegetation types

History

Classification	Code	Habitat type name	Relationship type
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410	A1.4	Features of littoral rock	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410	A1.1	High energy littoral rock	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410	A1	Littoral rock and other hard substrata	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410	A1.3	Low energy littoral rock	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410	A1.2	Moderate energy littoral rock	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308	A1.1	High energy littoral rock	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308	A1.6	Littoral caves and overhangs	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308	A1	Littoral rock and other hard substrata	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308	A1.3	Low energy littoral rock	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308	A1.2	Moderate energy littoral rock	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308	A1.5	Rockpools	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202	A1.6	Littoral caves and overhangs	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202	A1	Littoral rock and other hard substrata	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202	A1.2	Littoral rock moderately exposed to wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202	A1.3	Littoral rock sheltered from wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202	A1.1	Littoral rock very exposed to wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202	A1.5	Rockpools	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910	A1.6	Littoral caves and overhangs	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910	A1	Littoral rock and other hard substrata	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910	A1.2	Littoral rock moderately exposed to wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910	A1.3	Littoral rock sheltered from wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910	A1.1	Littoral rock very exposed to wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910	A1.5	Rockpools	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811	A1	Littoral rock and other hard substrata	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811	A1.6	Littoral rock caves and overhangs	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811	A1.2	Littoral rock moderately exposed to wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811	A1.3	Littoral rock sheltered from wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811	A1.1	Littoral rock very exposed to wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811	A1.5	Littoral rockpools	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712	A1.2	Eulittoral (inter-tidal) rock very exposed to wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712	A1.3	Eulittoral rock moderately exposed to wave action	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712	A1	Littoral rock	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712	A9.1	Littoral rock caves and overhangs	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712	A1.5	Littoral rock pools	narrower
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712	A1.4	Sheltered eulittoral rock	same
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905	11.292	Lower mediolittoral rocks	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905	11.294	Mediolittoral cave and overhang communities	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905	11.291	Mediolittoral fringe rocks	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905	11.295	Mediolittoral rock pools	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905	11.29	Rocky shore littoral communities	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905	11.293	Upper mediolittoral rocks	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997	11.292	Lower mediolittoral rocks	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997	11.294	Mediolittoral cave and overhang communities	same
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997	11.291	Mediolittoral fringe rocks	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997	11.295	Mediolittoral rock pools	not defined
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997	11.29	Rocky shore littoral communities	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997	11.293	Upper mediolittoral rocks	narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996	11.29		narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996	11.291		narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996	11.292		narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996	11.293		narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996	11.294		narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996	11.295		narrower
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1993	11.295		not defined
CORINE Biotopes Classification 1991	18.15		not defined
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland)	ELR	Exposed littoral rock (mussel/barnacle shores)	same
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland)	LR	Littoral rock (and other hard substrata)	same
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland)	MLR	Moderately exposed littoral rock (fucoid/barnacle shores)	same
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland)	LR.Rkp	Rockpools	narrower
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland)	SLR	Sheltered littoral rock (fucoid shores)	same
MNCR BioMar 96.7 (Britain & Ireland)	RKP		narrower
MNCR BioMar 96.7 (Britain & Ireland)	ELR		same
MNCR BioMar 96.7 (Britain & Ireland)	MLR		same
MNCR BioMar 96.7 (Britain & Ireland)	SLR		same

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