Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina forest on sheltered Atlantic upper infralittoral rock
Quick facts
EUNIS habitat type | code MB12391 |
---|---|
Relation to | Resolution 4 habitat type (used for designation of Emerald sites) |
Description (English)
Sheltered, often silted, upper infralittoral bedrock and boulder slopes with mixed kelps Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina and red seaweeds beneath. The kelp at these sheltered sites often has large `cape-form' fronds, which form a dense canopy over the seabed and are often epiphytised by the hydroid Obelia geniculata and the bryozoan Membranipora membranacea. Beneath the kelp, red seaweeds such as Delesseria sanguinea and Cryptopleura ramosa occur on top of encrusting coralline algae. Often, a dense algal turf of Bonnemaisonia hamifera (tetrasporophyte) carpets the rock. The stipes of L. hyperborea may be densely covered with seaweeds such as Phycodrys rubens, Plocamium cartilagineum and Porphyropsis coccinea. There can also be a prominent faunal component on the stipes including the solitary ascidian Clavelina lepadiformis and the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Brown seaweeds, occurring here in low abundance, include Dictyota dichotoma. The kelp Saccorhiza polyschides may also occur but rarely in equal abundance to L. hyperborea or L. saccharina. Beneath the kelp canopy, the faunal component is generally less diverse than the more exposed kelp forests (unit MB1-21A). The silted rock supports a sparse fauna of gastropods Gibbula cineraria and Calliostoma zizyphinum, the tube-building polychaete Pomatoceros triqueter and occasional starfish Asterias rubens and the urchin Echinus esculentus. Steeper, less silted rock, may have the anthozoans Caryophyllia smithii and Alcyonium digitatum.Sheltered, often silted, upper infralittoral bedrock and boulder slopes with mixed kelps Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina and red seaweeds beneath. The kelp at these sheltered sites often has large `cape-form' fronds, which form a dense canopy over the seabed and are often epiphytised by the hydroid Obelia geniculata and the bryozoan Membranipora membranacea. Beneath the kelp, red seaweeds such as Delesseria sanguinea and Cryptopleura ramosa occur on top of encrusting coralline algae. Often, a dense algal turf of Bonnemaisonia hamifera (tetrasporophyte) carpets the rock. The stipes of L. hyperborea may be densely covered with seaweeds such as Phycodrys rubens, Plocamium cartilagineum and Porphyropsis coccinea. There can also be a prominent faunal component on the stipes including the solitary ascidian Clavelina lepadiformis and the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri. Brown seaweeds, occurring here in low abundance, include Dictyota dichotoma. The kelp Saccorhiza polyschides may also occur but rarely in equal abundance to L. hyperborea or L. saccharina. Beneath the kelp canopy, the faunal component is generally less diverse than the more exposed kelp forests (MB1-21A). The silted rock supports a sparse fauna of gastropods Gibbula cineraria and Calliostoma zizyphinum, the tube-building polychaete Pomatoceros triqueter and occasional starfish Asterias rubens and the urchin Echinus esculentus. Steeper, less silted rock, may have the anthozoans Caryophyllia smithii and Alcyonium digitatum.
Situation: This biotope occurs below Laminaria digitata on the sheltered sublittoral fringe (MB1-2171) or a mix of L. saccharina and L. digitata in very sheltered conditions (MB1-23A1). It can also be found on isolated rock exposures amid a sediment seabed (MC6-2141 or MB6-249). Where suitable substrata allow, the kelp thins out with increased depth to form a park below the forest (MB1-2392).
Source: EUNIS habitat classification
Legal status
Relation to other habitat types mentioned in legal instruments
Vegetation types
Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)
Not availableSpecies mentioned in habitat description
Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
---|---|---|
Bonnemaisonia hamifera | Algae | |
Cryptopleura ramosa | Algae | |
Delesseria sanguinea | Algae | |
Dictyota dichotoma | Algae | |
Laminaria digitata | Algae | |
Laminaria hyperborea | Algae | |
Laminaria saccharina | Algae | |
Phycodrys rubens | Algae | |
Plocamium cartilagineum | Algae | |
Porphyropsis coccinea | Algae | |
Saccorhiza polyschides | Algae | |
Alcyonium digitatum | Invertebrates | |
Asterias rubens | Invertebrates | |
Botryllus schlosseri | Invertebrates | |
Calliostoma zizyphinum | Invertebrates | |
Caryophyllia smithii | Invertebrates | |
Clavelina lepadiformis | Invertebrates | |
Echinus esculentus | Invertebrates | |
Gibbula cineraria | Invertebrates | |
Membranipora membranacea | Invertebrates | |
Obelia geniculata | Invertebrates | |
Pomatoceros triqueter | Invertebrates |
Other classifications
Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
---|---|---|---|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012) | A3.3121 | Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina forest on sheltered upper infralittoral rock | same |
History
Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | A3.3121 | Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina forest on sheltered upper infralittoral rock | same | |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | A3.3111 | Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina forest on sheltered upper infralittoral rock | same | |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 | A3.3111 | Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina forest on sheltered upper infralittoral rock | same | |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 | A3.3111 | Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina forest on sheltered upper infralittoral rock | same | |
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland) | SIR.K.LhypLsac.Ft | Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina forest on sheltered upper infralittoral rock | same |