Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata on sheltered Atlantic sublittoral fringe rock
Description (English)
Sheltered bedrock and boulders in the sublittoral fringe characterised by a mixed canopy of the kelp Laminaria digitata (usually in its broad-fronded cape-form) and Laminaria saccharina - both species are generally Frequent or greater. Beneath the kelp canopy, the understorey of red seaweeds often includes Chondrus crispus, Dumontia contorta, Bonnemaisonia hamifera and Plocamium cartilagineum. The surface of the rock is usually covered with encrusting coralline algae as well as non-calcified red crusts and the tube-building polychaete Pomatoceros triqueter. The brown seaweeds Chorda filum, Ectocarpaceae and Fucus serratus can be present along with the green seaweeds Ulva lactuca and Enteromorpha intestinalis. Patches of the sponge Halichondria panicea can frequently be found in cracks and crevices. Beneath and between boulders a variety of mobile crustaceans such as Carcinus maenas, the gastropod Gibbula cineraria and the starfish Asterias rubens are common.
Situation: Where hard substrata occur on the shore, this biotope will be found below the F. serratus zone (units MA1-23F1, MA1-244 or MA1-23F2 on mixed substrata). With such sheltered shores, the transition between sublittoral fringe and the true sublittoral zone may not be distinct; this biotope therefore extends into the shallow sublittoral kelp forest below (MB1-2391, MB1-2391 or MB1-23B).
Source: EUNIS habitat classification
Quick facts
EUNIS habitat type | code MB123A1 |
---|---|
Relation to | Resolution 4 habitat type (used for designation of Emerald sites) |
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 |
---|---|---|
Enteromorpha intestinalis | Algae | |
Fucus serratus | Algae | |
Laminaria saccharina | Algae | |
Plocamium cartilagineum | Algae | |
Ulva lactuca | Algae | |
Asterias rubens | Invertebrates | |
Carcinus maenas | Invertebrates | |
Halichondria panicea | Invertebrates |
Other classifications
Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
---|---|---|---|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012) | A3.3131 | Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata on sheltered sublittoral fringe rock | same |
History
Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | A3.3131 | Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata on sheltered sublittoral fringe rock | same | |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | A3.3121 | Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata on sheltered sublittoral fringe rock | same | |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 | A3.3121 | Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata on sheltered sublittoral fringe rock | same | |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 | A3.3121 | Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata on sheltered sublittoral fringe rock | same | |
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland) | SIR.K.Lsac.Ldig | Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata on sheltered sublittoral fringe rock | same |