2320 page results
LS.LSa.MoSa.BarSa Barren littoral coarse sand
Published date 2015-03Freely-draining sandy beaches, particularly on the upper and mid shore, which lack a macrofaunal community due to their continual mobility. Trial excavations are unlikely to reveal any macrofauna in t...
LR.HLR.FT.FserTX Fucus serratus with sponges, ascidians and red seaweeds on tide-swept lower eulittoral mixed substrata
Published date 2015-03Sheltered lower shore boulders, cobbles and pebbles on muddy sediments that are subject to enhanced tidal water movement and characterised by a species rich community. Dominant species include the spo...
SS.SSa.SSaVS Sublittoral sand in variable salinity (estuaries)
Published date 2015-03Clean sands that occur in the upper reaches of marine inlets, especially estuaries, where water movement is moderately strong, allowing the sedimentation of sand but not the finer silt fraction. The h...
SS.SBR.SMus.ModHAs Modiolus modiolus beds with fine hydroids and large solitary ascidians on very sheltered circalittoral mixed substrata
Published date 2015-03Beds or scattered clumps of Modiolus modiolus in generally sheltered conditions with only slight tidal movement. Typically occurs in sea lochs and the Shetland voes. Brittlestars Ophiothrix fragilis a...
CR.HCR.DpSp Deep sponge communities (circalittoral)
Published date 2015-03This biotope complex typically occurs on deep (commonly below 30m depth), wave-exposed circalittoral rock subject to negligible tidal streams. The sponge component of this biotope is the most striking...
IR.LIR.K.Slat.Ldig Saccharina latissima and Laminaria digitata on sheltered sublittoral fringe rock
Published date 2015-03Sheltered 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 Saccharina latissima - both species...
LS.LMx.GvMu.HedMx.Str Hediste diversicolor and Streblospio shrubsolii in littoral gravelly sandy mud
Published date 2015-03Extremely sheltered gravelly sandy mud, subject to variable salinity, on the mid and lower shore. The infaunal community consists of the ragworm Hediste diversicolor, Pygospio elegans, Streblospio shr...
LS.LMp.LSgr.Znol Zostera noltei beds in littoral muddy sand
Published date 2015-03Mid and upper shore wave-sheltered muddy fine sand or sandy mud with narrow-leafed eel grass Zostera noltei at an abundance of frequent or above. It should be noted that the presence of Z. noltii as s...
English Highly Protected Marine Areas
Published date 2023-07-05Defra has committed to identify and designate pilot Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in English waters. Defra, JNCC, Natural England, Cefas, the Marine Management Organisation, the Association of...
Terrestrial habitat classification schemes
Published date 2019-04-28Classification is a prerequisite to structuring knowledge and developing our understanding of the natural world. It provides a common language through which data can be gathered, stored and communica...