EUNIS habitat classification 2012 amended 2019 > A - Marine habitats > A2 - Littoral sediment > A2.1 - Littoral coarse sediment

Littoral coarse sediment

English name: Littoral coarse sediment

Description (English)

Littoral coarse sediments include shores of mobile pebbles, cobbles and gravel, sometimes with varying amounts of coarse sand. The sediment is highly mobile and subject to high degrees of drying between tides. As a result, few species are able to survive in this environment. Beaches of mobile cobbles and pebbles tend to be devoid of macroinfauna, while gravelly shores may support limited numbers of crustaceans, such as Pectenogammarus planicrurus.
Situation: Littoral coarse sediments are found along relatively exposed open shores, where wave action prevents finer sediments from settling. Coarse sediments may also be present on the upper parts of shores where there are more stable, sandy biotopes on the lower and mid shore.
Temporal variation: The sediment particle size structure may vary seasonally, with relatively finer sediments able to settle during calmer conditions in summer. Where the sediment grain size is very large (at the interface between sediment and boulder shores), cobbles may be mobile during exposed winter conditions, but stable enough during summer months to support limited juvenile rocky shore epifauna (e.g. juvenile barnacles).

Source: EUNIS habitat classification

Quick facts

EUNIS habitat type	code A2.1
Relation to	Annex I habitat types (EU Habitats Directive)

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
Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora - consolidated version 01/01/2007	Annex I: natural habitat types of community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation	Estuaries	1130	Overlap	http://ec.europa.eu/environm...rective/index_en.htm
Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora - consolidated version 01/01/2007	Annex I: natural habitat types of community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation	Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide	1140	Overlap
Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora - consolidated version 01/01/2007	Annex I: natural habitat types of community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation	Large shallow inlets and bays	1160	Overlap

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
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 200112	17.1	Unvegetated shingle beaches	overlap
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 200112	11.28	Pebbly shore littoral communities	narrower
CORINE Land Cover	4.2.3.	Intertidal flats	n/a
Marine Habitat Classification Britain/Ireland 0405	LS.LCS	Littoral coarse sediment	same
Barcelona Convention 199812	II.3.	(MEDIOLITTORAL) STONES AND PEBBLES	same
Ramsar Wetland Types	E	Sand, shingle or pebble shores	wider
Phase 1 habitat classification (UK) 1993	H12	Intertidal: shingle/cobbles	overlap
Phase 1 habitat classification (UK) 1993	H11	Intertidal: mud/sand	overlap

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

History

Classification	Code	Habitat type name	Relationship type
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410	A2.1	Littoral coarse sediment	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308	A2.1	Littoral coarse sediment	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202	A2.1	Littoral gravels and coarse sands	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910	A2.1	Littoral gravels and coarse sands	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811	A2.1	Littoral gravels and coarse sands	same
EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712	A2.1	Littoral shingle, gravel and sand	same
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905	16.1	Sand beaches	wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905	11.28	Pebbly shore littoral communities	not defined
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905	17.1	Unvegetated shingle beaches	wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997	17.1	Unvegetated shingle beaches	wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997	16.1	Sand beaches	wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997	11.28	Pebbly shore littoral communities	not defined
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996	17.1		wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996	16.1		wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996	11.28		not defined
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1993	17.1		wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1993	16.1		wider
Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1993	11.28		not defined
CORINE Biotopes Classification 1991	17.1		wider
CORINE Biotopes Classification 1991	16.1		wider
CORINE Biotopes Classification 1989	17.1		wider
CORINE Biotopes Classification 1989	16.1		wider
MNCR BioMar 97.06 (Britain & Ireland)	LGS	Littoral gravels and sands	same
MNCR BioMar 96.7 (Britain & Ireland)	LGS		same

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