Beggiatoa spp. on anoxic Atlantic circalittoral mud
Description (English)
Sublittoral soft anoxic mud, often in areas with poor water exchange with the open sea, can have a conspicuous bacterial mat covering of Beggiatoa spp. The anoxia may be a result of natural conditions of poor water exchange in some sealochs (and many Scandinavian fjords) or artificially under fish farm cages from nutrient enrichment. The fauna is normally impoverished at such sites, with few elements of the infaunal communities present in other muddy biotopes. Scavenging species such as Asterias rubens and Carcinus maenas are typically present where the habitat is not too anoxic along with occasional Arenicola marina but in extreme conditions of anoxia little survives other than the Beggiatoa. The polychaete Ophiodromus flexuosus occurs in high densities at the interface between oxygenated and deoxygenated sediments (in Norwegian fjords).
Source: EUNIS habitat classification
Quick facts
| EUNIS habitat type | code MC6219 |
|---|---|
| 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
Invertebrates
Carcinus maenas
Invertebrates
Ophiodromus flexuosus
| Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
|---|---|---|
| Carcinus maenas | Invertebrates | |
| Ophiodromus flexuosus | Invertebrates |
Other classifications
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012) | A5.7 | Features of sublittoral sediments | narrower |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012) | A5.7211 | Beggiatoa spp. on anoxic sublittoral mud | narrower |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012) | A5.72 | Organically-enriched or anoxic sublittoral habitats | narrower |
History
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | A5.7 | Features of sublittoral sediments | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | A5.7211 | Beggiatoa spp. on anoxic sublittoral mud | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | A5.72 | Organically-enriched or anoxic sublittoral habitats | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | A4.35 | Periodically and permanently anoxic sublittoral muds | narrower | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | A4.351 | Beggiatoa spp. on anoxic sublittoral mud | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | A4.8 | Seeps and vents in sublittoral sediments | narrower | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 | A4.35 | Periodically and permanently anoxic sublittoral muds | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 | A4.351 | Bacterial mats on anoxic sublittoral mud | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 | A4.8 | Seeps and vents in sublittoral sediments | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 | A4.38 | Periodically anoxic sublittoral muds | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 | A4.363 | Bacterial mats on anoxic sublittoral mud | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 | A4.8 | Seeps and vents in sublittoral sediments | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811 | A4.81 | Bacterial mats on anoxic sublittoral mud | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712 | A6.31 | Bacterial mats on anoxic sublittoral mud | same | |
| MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland) | CMU.Beg | Beggiatoa spp. on anoxic sublittoral mud | same | |
| MNCR BioMar 96.7 (Britain & Ireland) | CMU.Beg | same |
