# tblEUNIS2007

hname:
Medio-European steep slope yew beech forests

description:
Beech forests of cool steep marl slopes of the Jura, the foothills of the Alps and the Carpathians, in which [Taxus baccata] forms a second tree layer.


hname:
Medio-European blue moorgrass beech forests

description:
Beech forests of dry slopes of firm limestone or dolomite of the montane, submontane, and sometimes, collinar or planitiar, levels of the Alps and pre-Alps, of the Jura and, locally, of the Hercynian arc, of the southwestern Western Carpathians (Strazov range) and the Germano-Baltic plain (Rügen), with an often gnarled and open growth of trees and an herb layer dominated by the tussocks of [Sesleria caerulea].


hname:
Medio-European naked basiphile beech forests

description:
Beech forests on lime or gypsum in areas of dry microclimate, such as the rain shadow of the Harz and inner Bohemia, practically devoid of undergrowth.


description:
Low forests of [Fagus sylvatica], not exceeding 12-15 metres in height, on shallow soils, usually of steep slopes, of the mid- and peri-Pannonic Bükk and Pilis hills, with an herb layer characterized by the endemic [Sesleria heuflerana ssp. hungarica], [Calamagrostis varia], [Phyteuma spicatum], and the presence of xerophilous oak forest species, of orchids and rare species, including [Cypripedium calceolus] and [Allium victorialis].


hname:
Northwestern Iberian xerophile beech woods

description:
[Fagus sylvatica] forests of relatively low precipitation zones of the southern ranges of the Pais Vasco and of superficially dry calcareous soils of the Cordillera Cantabrica, with [Brachypodium pinnatum ssp. rupestre], [Sesleria argentea ssp. hispanica], [Carex brevicollis], [Carex ornithopoda], [Carex sempervirens], [Carex caudata], [Cephalanthera damasonium], [Cephalanthera longifolia], [Epipactis helleborine], [Epipactis microphylla], [Neottia nidus-avis].


description:
[Fagus sylvatica] forests of the southern flanks of the Alps and the western Mediterranean mountains with an often species-rich herb layer composed of an admixture of medio-European, Mediterranean and local endemic species.


description:
Acidophilous forests with [Luzula nivea] and [Luzula pedemontana] of the Maritime, Ligurian, Insubrian and Illyro-Gardesian Alps and pre-Alps and of the northern and central Apennines.


description:
Acidophilous forests of the eastern Pyrenees and Cévennes, with [Luzula nivea], clearly distinguished from forests of the [Scillo-Fagenion] by their impoverished herb layer, and replacing the more Atlantic forests of the [Ilici-Fagenion].


description:
Beech forests of Corsica, acidophilous, with [Luzula pedemontana], [Galium rotundifolium] and insular endemics such as [Helleborus lividus].


description:
[Quercus robur]-[Quercus petraea]-[Carpinus betulus] forests of the mesozoic hills and plateaux of northwestern Burgundy (Nivernais, Langres plateau, Barrois, Morvan piedmont).


description:
[Quercus robur]-[Quercus petraea]-[Carpinus betulus] forests of the Saone plain in southern Burgundy and Bresse, of the southern Lyonnais and of the Limagne basin, including the outstanding multicentury-old stands of Côteaux and similar stations.


description:
Sub-Atlantic forests of [Quercus robur] and [Quercus petraea], mostly low-canopied, with [Carpinus betulus], [Sorbus torminalis], [Betula pendula], [Populus tremula] in the subcanopy or the understorey, developed on soils with an alternating hydric regime, mostly clays derived from the alteration of Devonian schists, characterized by the abundance of [Carex flacca] and the coexistence of acidocline and calcicline species, typical of the sub-Hercynian Fagne-Famenne depression where they constitute a highly distinctive, almost continuous, forest-belt.


description:
[Quercus robur] or [Quercus petraea] forests of eutrophic or mesotrophic soils of subcontinental and continental northern and central Central Europe and of Eastern Europe. [Carpinus betulus] is generally present in their western representatives, widespread in Central Europe and western Eastern Europe. They are richer in lime, [Tilia cordata], than the sub-Atlantic forests of units G1.A13, G1.A14 and 41.25. They are of more northern character in their area of mutual approach than the Balkanic forests of unit G1.A1C. Their southern limit of occurrence follows the Carpathian arc, the northern rim of the Podolian plateaux, and, farther east, the southern limit of nemoral forests.


description:
[Quercus petraea]-[Carpinus betulus] forests of regions with subcontinental climate within the central European range of [Fagus sylvatica], such as the Upper Rhine plain, the rain shadows of the Harz, Rh”n and Spessart, the Swabian-Franconian basin, the Bavarian plateau and Thuringe, the Austrian northern pre-Alps and the Wienerwald, the Polish central lowlands and adjacent hills of Silesia, Great Poland and Kujawy, dominated by [Quercus petraea] and with [Sorbus torminalis], [Sorbus domestica], [Acer campestre], [Ligustrum vulgare], [Convallaria majalis], [Carex montana], [Carex umbrosa], [Festuca heterophylla].


description:
Lime-oak forests of Central and Eastern Europe developed in regions of continental climate east of the range of [Fagus sylvatica], but within that of [Carpinus betulus], in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, with [Quercus petraea], [Quercus robur], [Tilia cordata], [Acer platanoides], [Carpinus betulus].


description:
[Quercus robur]-[Quercus petraea]-[Tilia cordata] forests of northern nemoral or boreonemoral regions of northeastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe, east of the range of [Fagus sylvatica], north of the range of the forests of unit G1.A162 from which they differ by an admixture of [Picea abies] and other boreal species.


description:
[Quercus robur]-[Quercus petraea]-[Tilia cordata] forests of the northern flank of the northern and northeastern Carpathians (Poloninskij Chrebet), west to northern Moravia, differing from those of unit G1.A162 by the presence of [Abies alba] and [Picea abies] in the tree layer.


hname:
Bohemian oak-hornbeam and oak-lime forests

description:
[Quercus petraea]-[Carpinus betulus] forests of plains and low hills of the Bohemian basin and adjacent areas of northeastern Lower Austria.


hname:
Carpathian hairy sedge oak-hornbeam forests

description:
[Quercus petraea]-[Tilia cordata]-[Carpinus betulus]-[Fagus sylvatica] forests of the collinar level of the Carpathians, of southern Moravia, of the flysch hills of northeastern Lower Austria, of the Hainburger Berge and Leitha hills of northeastern Burgenland and of the volcanic hills of northern Hungary.


description:
[Quercus petraea]-[Quercus robur]-[Carpinus betulus]-[Acer campestre] forests of warm hills of the Pannonic domaine, in southern Moravia, southern Slovakia, the eastern Lower-Austrian Weinviertel and Marchfeld, the hills of western Transdanubia and the mid-Pannonic range of central Transdanubia, outside of the range of [Fagus sylvatica], with [Quercus cerris], [Cornus mas], [Sorbus torminalis], [Ulmus minor], [Rhamnus catharticus], [Viola mirabilis], [Viola alba], [Viola suavis], [Primula veris], [Polygonatum latifolium], [Polygonatum multiflorum], [Polygonatum odoratum], [Pulmonaria mollis ssp. mollis], [Pulmonaria murinii], [Chamaecytisus supinus], [Serratula tinctoria], [Convallaria majalis], [Carex curvata], [Carex michelii], [Melica uniflora], [Poa nemoralis].


description:
[Quercus petraea]-[Quercus robur]-[Carpinus betulus] forests of hills, valleys and plateaux of the southern flank of the eastern section of the Western Carpathian arc, in Slovakia and northern Hungary, within the range of [Fagus sylvatica].


description:
[Quercus petraea]-[Quercus robur]-[Carpinus betulus] forests of the Slovakian-Hungarian karst.


description:
[Quercus petraea]-[Quercus robur]-[Carpinus betulus] forests of eastern Slovakia, with [Coronilla elegans] ([Coronilla latifolia]).


description:
Forests of [Quercus robur], [Ulmus glabra], [Tilia cordata], [Acer platanoides], [Fraxinus excelsior], [Corylus avellana] and sometimes [Fagus sylvatica] and/or [Carpinus betulus], of the southern Fennoscandian and Baltic regions of transition and interdigitation between taiga and nemoral deciduous forests. They usually constitute deciduous forests enclaved in a taiga environment, near the limits of the ranges of [Fagus sylvatica] and/or [Carpinus betulus].


hname:
Northern middle Russian oak-lime forests

description:
Forests of [Quercus robur] of the northern nemoral zone and of enclaves in the southern boreal zone of Eastern Europe, with [Tilia cordata] and no [Carpinus betulus]. They are characteristic of the Baltic States, eastern Belarus, the Ukraine and Russia, east to the Volga, outside of the range of [Carpinus betulus]. They also occur within the geographical range of hornbeam on soils unfavourable to its growth. [Quercus robur] and [Tilia cordata] are accompanied by [Acer platanoides], [Populus tremula], [Picea abies], [Corylus avellana], [Sorbus aucuparia], [Euonymus europaeus], [Daphne mezereum], [Galium odoratum], [Anemone nemorosa] and boreal herbs.


hname:
Sub-Atlantic calciphile oak - hornbeam forests

description:
Often low, open, xerophile forests dominated by [Quercus robur] or [Quercus petraea], developed on superficial to deep soils associated with calcareous substrates in Hercynian southern central Germany, eastern and southern Belgium, eastern and central France; located within the range of the [Pulmonario-Carpinenion], they offer similarities to the [Galio-Carpinenion] and generally constitute substitution forests of the [Cephalanthero-Fagion], either regressive phases brought about by coppicing or recolonisation phases permitted by abandonment of [Bromion] grasslands.


hname:
Sub-Atlantic calciphile privet oak-hornbeam forests

description:
Generally low forests and woods characteristic of superficial calcareous soils on often steep sunny slopes of Hercynian southern central Germany, southern Belgium and eastern France, with [Quercus robur] (usually dominant), [Quercus petraea], [Tilia platyphyllos], [Fraxinus excelsior], [Carpinus betulus], [Acer campestre], [Corylus avellana], [Cornus sanguinea], [Cornus mas], [Crataegus laevigata], [Crataegus monogyna], [Prunus spinosa], [Euonymus europaeus], [Ligustrum vulgare], [Viburnum lantana], [Daphne laureola], [Primula veris], [Viola hirta], [Mercurialis perennis], [Scilla bifolia], [Orchis mascula], [Carex digitata], [Carex montana].


description:
[Abies alba]-[Picea abies] woods of calcareous soils of the eastern Black Forest foothills, the Baar Plateau and the piedmont of the Swabian Alb, rich in sedges and orchids.


description:
[Abies alba]-dominated fir forests of calcareous block slopes of the Dinarides of Slovenia, western Croatia, mostly in the Gorski Kotar, the Velebit and the Pljesevica, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, extending north to the Triglav range in the southeastern Alps of Slovenia and south in fragmentary form to the Piva Valley of Montenegro, with [Juniperus nana], [Calamagrostis hirundinacea], [Calamagrostis varia], [Cirsium erisithales], [Clematis alpina], ferns and mosses including [Leucobryum glaucum]. They include primaeval and near-natural forests of considerable biological and aesthetic value.


description:
[Abies alba] and [Abies alba]-[Picea abies] forests developed on acid soils of the Alps, the Dinarides, the Carpathians, the Pyrenees, the Jura, the Hercynian ranges and the northern Apennines, within the biogeographical range of beech forests of the [Fagion medio-europaeum], of the [Fagion illyricum] or of the [Fagion dacicum].


description:
Oligotrophic fir and fir-spruce forests of the intermediate or inner Alps, with [Luzula nivea], [Vaccinium myrtillus], [Calamagrostis villosa], [Festuca flavescens], [Saxifraga cuneifolia].


description:
Acidophile fir forests of the montane or submontane levels of the outer Alps, the Dinarides, the Carpathians, the northern Apennines, the Pyrenees, the Jura and the Hercynian arc, dominated by [Abies alba] with a varying admixture of [Picea abies], [Fagus sylvatica] or both.


description:
Acidophile fir forests of the montane or submontane levels of the outer Alps, the western Carpathians, the Jura, the Bohemian Quadrangle, the Black Forest, the Vosges, the Central Massif, the Pyrenees, locally of other mid-German Hercynian ranges, in particular, the Thüringer Wald, developed in stations edaphically or microclimatically unfavourable to beech, dominated by [Abies alba] accompanied to a varying extent by [Picea abies] and with a species cortège combining elements of the [Piceetalia] with those of the [Fagetalia].


description:
Acidophile fir forests of the montane or submontane levels of the Dinarides, developed in stations edaphically or microclimatically unfavourable to beech, dominated by [Abies alba] with a varying admixture of [Picea abies] and [Fagus sylvatica], with a species cortège composed by elements of the [Fagetalia] ([Fagion illyricum]) and of the [Piceetalia].


description:
Neutrophile to acidophile [Abies alba] or [Abies alba]-[Picea abies] forests of the montane beech-fir belt of the southeastern Carpathians and the Apuseni mountains, with a cortège comprising [Fagetalia] and [Symphyto-Fagenion] species including [Pulmonaria rubra], [Dentaria glandulosa], [Symphytum cordatum], [Salvia glutinosa], [Actaea spicata], [Rubus hirtus], [Dryopteris filix-mas], [Athyrium filix-femina].


description:
High-altitude fir forests characteristic of north facing  slopes (ubac) of the Pyrenees and southwestern Alps, outside of the range of spruce, with [Rhododendron ferrugineum], [Vaccinium myrtillus], [Homogyne alpina], [Festuca flavescens].


description:
Fir forests of the lower subalpine level of the Pyrenees, with [Rhododendron ferrugineum], [Homogyne alpina], [Lonicera nigra], [Polystichum lonchitis], [Rosa pendulina] ([Rosa alpina]), [Huperzia selago].


description:
Fir forests of the lower subalpine level of the western Alps, with [Rhododendron ferrugineum], [Vaccinium myrtillus], [Homogyne alpina], [Lonicera caerulea], [Festuca flavescens], [Huperzia selago].


description:
Block fir forests of the montane level of the Pyrenees and the southwestern Alps.


description:
Upland fir, or fir-dominated fir-spruce or fir-pine-oak forests developed on mesotrophic acid soils of Little-Poland, in particular, of the Holy Cross mountains and of sub-Carpathic hills, with an undergrowth rich in ferns, bryophytes and lowland forest species shared with the deciduous forests of the [Tilio-Carpinetum].


description:
Fir-dominated [Abies alba]-[Picea abies] forests of the German, Swiss and Austrian outer Alps and their piedmont, and of the Carpathians, recorded from the Slovakian Carpathians and the Apuseni mountains, with [Frangula alnus] and an herb and moss layer rich in [Vaccinium myrtillus], [Bazzania trilobata], [Blechnum spicant], [Dryopteris carthusiana] agg., [Oxalis acetosella], [Sphagnum palustre], [Sphagnum girgensohnii], [Hylocomium splendens], [Polytrichum formosum], [Thuidium tamariscinum].


description:
[Abies alba] woods and forests locally replacing, mostly in cool stations, the acidophilous beech forests of the montane level of Corsica.


description:
Relict [Abies alba] woods associated with the beech forests of the [Geranio versicolori-Fagion] of the Lucano-Calabrian Apennines (Pollino, Sila, Aspromonte).


description:
Forests of [Abies alba] or of [Abies alba] mixed with [Fagus sylvatica], [Picea abies], [Pinus sylvestris] or [Pinus nigra] of the Rhodope Mountains, the Balkan Range, the Moeso-Macedonian mountains and the Pelagonids, within the geographical range of [Fagion moesiacum] forests.


description:
Forests of [Abies alba] or of [Abies alba] mixed with [Fagus sylvatica], [Picea abies], [Pinus sylvestris] or [Pinus nigra] of the Rhodope and the northeastern Greek mountains, Pirin, Rila, Vitosha, within the geographical range of [Fagion moesiacum] forests.


description:
Sediment habitats in the sublittoral near shore zone (i.e. covering the infralittoral and circalittoral zones), typically extending from the extreme lower shore down to the edge of the bathyal zone (200 m). Sediment ranges from boulders and cobbles, through pebbles and shingle, coarse sands, sands, fine sands, muds, and mixed sediments. Those communities found in or on sediment are described within this broad habitat type.


description:
Coarse sediments including coarse sand, gravel, pebbles, shingle and cobbles which are often unstable due to tidal currents and/or wave action. These habitats are generally found on the open coast or in tide-swept channels of marine inlets. They typically have a low silt content and a lack of a significant seaweed component. They are characterised by a robust fauna including venerid bivalves.


hname:
Infralittoral coarse sediment in low or reduced salinity

description:
Includes bare Baltic gravel and shell bottoms in the infralittoral photic zone and the aphotic zone


hname:
Baltic level gravel bottoms of the infralittoral photic zone with little or no macrophyte vegetation


hname:
Baltic gravel banks of the infralittoral photic zone


hname:
Baltic shell gravel bottoms in the infralittoral photic zone


hname:
Baltic gravel bottoms of the aphotic zone


hname:
Baltic shell gravel bottoms of the aphotic zone


hname:
Sublittoral coarse sediment in variable salinity (estuaries)

description:
Clean gravels that occur in the upper reaches of marine inlets, especially estuaries, where water movement is sufficiently strong to remove the silt content of the sediment. The habitat typically lacks a significant seaweed component and is characterised by a sparse but very robust brackish-water tolerant fauna.


description:
Moderately exposed habitats with coarse sand, gravelly sand, shingle and gravel in the infralittoral, are subject to disturbance by tidal steams and wave action. Such habitats found on the open coast or in tide-swept marine inlets are characterised by a robust fauna of infaunal polychaetes such as [Chaetozone setosa] and [Lanice conchilega], cumacean crustacea such as [Iphinoe trispinosa] and [Diastylis bradyi], and venerid bivalves. Habitats with the lancelet [Branchiostoma lanceolatum] may also occur.


hname:
Sparse fauna on highly mobile sublittoral shingle (cobbles and pebbles)

description:
Sublittoral clean shingle and pebble habitats with a lack of conspicuous fauna. Unstable, rounded pebbles and stones (as opposed to sub-angular cobbles, which are often found lying on or embedded in other sediment) that are strongly affected by tidal steams and/or wave action can support few animals and are consequently faunally impoverished. The species composition of this biotope may be highly variable seasonally and is likely to comprise of low numbers of robust polychaetes or bivalves with occasional epibiota including echinoderms and crustacea such as [Liocarcinus] spp. and [Pagurus] spp. In more settled periods there may be colonisation by anemones such as [Urticina felina] and small populations of hydroids and Bryozoa.
Situation: This biotope is found in marine inlets with very strong tidal currents as well as in very wave exposed open coast environments.
Temporal variation: The faunal composition of this biotope is likely to be highly variable as a result of seasonal changes in wave and tidal energy.


hname:
[Halcampa chrysanthellum] and [Edwardsia timida] on sublittoral clean stone gravel

description:
Periodically (seasonally?) disturbed sublittoral stone gravel with small pebbles characterised by the presence of the anemones [Halcampa chrysanthellum] and [Edwardsia timida]. Associated species are often typical of a hydroid/bryozoan turf with polychaetes such as [Pomatoceros] spp. encrusting larger pebbles and low numbers of syllid and phyllodocid polychaetes living interstitially. In some areas this biotope may also contain opportunistic red seaweeds and infauna such as [Sabella pavonina]. It should be noted that this habitat may show considerable variation in community composition and it is possible that it is a sub-biotope of other gravel biotopes.
Situation: This biotope tends to occur at the entrance to marine inlets where tidal currents are moderately strong.
Temporal variation: The faunal composition and species richness of this biotope may vary seasonally as a result of disturbance from increased wave or tidal action.


hname:
[Moerella] spp. with venerid bivalves in infralittoral gravelly sand

description:
Infralittoral medium to coarse sand and gravelly sand which is subject to moderately strong water movement from tidal streams may be characterised by [Moerella] spp. with the polychaete [Glycera lapidum] (agg.) and venerid bivalves. Typical species include [Moerella pygmaea] or [M. donacina] with other robust bivalves such as [Dosinia lupinus], [Timoclea ovata], [Goodallia triangularis] and [Chamelea gallina]. Other infauna include nephtyd and spionid polychaetes and amphipod crustacea. Another important component of this biotope in some areas is the bivalve [Spisula solida] (see Khne & Rachnor 1996) which may be common or abundant. In conjunction with unit A5.242 this biotope may form part of the 'Shallow [Venus] Community', the 'Boreal Off-shore Sand Association' and the '[Goniadella-Spisula] association' of previous workers (see Petersen 1918; Jones 1951; Thorson 1957; Salzwedel, Rachor & Gerdes 1985). Epifaunal communities may be reduced in this biotope when compared to A5.242; both types may have surface sand waves which may be indicative of the presence of venerid bivalves (Warwick & Davies 1977). This hypothesis, however, requires testing. Remote grab sampling is likely to under-estimate venerid bivalves and other deep-burrowing and more dispersed species such as [Paphia], [Ensis] and [Spatangus]. In southern areas of the UK and the North Sea, in slightly siltier sand and shelly sand, A5.133 may give way to the other [Spisula] biotope A5.244.
Situation: This biotope is found on the exposed open coast and in estuaries with moderately strong tidal currents.


hname:
[Hesionura elongata] and [Microphthalmus similis] with other interstitial polychaetes in infralittoral mobile coarse sand

description:
On infralittoral sandbanks and sandwaves and other areas of mobile medium-coarse sand, populations of interstitial polychaetes may be found. These habitats consist of loosely packed grains of sand forming waves up to several metres high often with gravel, or occasionally silt, in the troughs of the waves. This biotope is commonly found both inshore along the east coast of the UK e.g. around the Race Bank, Docking Shoal and Inner Dowsing banks (IECS, 1995; IECS, 1999), and in the Southern Bight of the North Sea and off the Belgian coast (Degraer [et al]. 1999; Vanosmael [et al]. 1982). These habitats support interstitial communities living in the spaces between the grains of sand, in particular hesionurid polychaetes such as [Hesionura elongata] and [Microphthalmus similis], along with protodrilid polychaetes such as [Protodrilus] spp. and [Protodriloides] spp. Other important species may include Turbellaria spp. and larger deposit feeding polychaetes such as [Travisia forbesii]. An important feature of this biotope which is not reflected in much of the available data is the importance of the meiofaunal population which may exceed the macrofaunal population both in terms of abundance and biomass (Willems [et al]. 1982).
Situation: This biotope is commonly found both in shore adjacent to the coast, and further away from the coast.


hname:
[Glycera lapidum] in impoverished infralittoral mobile gravel and sand

description:
In infralittoral mixed slightly gravelly sands on exposed open coasts impoverished communities characterised by the polychaete [Glycera lapidum] (agg.) may be found. [Glycera lapidum] is a species complex and as such some variability in identification may be found in the literature. It is also quite widespread and may occur in a variety of coarser sediments and is often present in other A5.1 subunits. However, it is rarely considered a characteristic species and where this is the case it is normally due to the exclusion of other species. Consequently it is considered that habitats containing this biotope may be subject to continual or periodic sediment disturbance from wave action, which prevents the establishment of a more stable community. Other taxa include spionid polychaetes such as [Spio martinensis] and [Spiophanes bombyx, Nephtys] spp. and in some areas the bivalve [Spisula elliptica]. It is possible that A5.135 is not a true biotope, rather an impoverished, transitional community, which in more settled conditions develops into other more stable communities.
Situation: In many cases e.g. along the East Yorkshire coast this biotope is found in shallow inshore areas facing directly into the prevailing wind and subject to considerable wave action.
Temporal variation: Due to the variability in sediment regime at these habitats there may be high seasonal or spatial variability within this community.


hname:
Cumaceans and [Chaetozone setosa] in infralittoral gravelly sand

description:
In shallow medium-fine sands with gravel, on moderately exposed open coasts, communities dominated by cumacean crustaceans such as [Iphinoe trispinosa] and [Diastylis bradyi] along with the cirratulid polychaete [Chaetozone setosa] (agg.) may occur. [Chaetozone setosa] is a species complex so it is likely that some variability in nomenclature will be found in the literature. Other important taxa may include the polychaetes [Anaitides] spp., [Lanice conchilega], [Eteone longa] and [Scoloplos armiger]. This community may be subject to periodical sedimentary disturbance, such that a sub-climactic community may develop with opportunistic taxa such as [C. setosa] and [S. armiger] often dominating the community (Allen 2000).
Situation: This biotope may be found in areas with moderate currents and wave action often facing into the prevailing wind and along the Holderness coast of the North Sea. It is possible that this biotope has developed due to chronic sedimentary disturbance in areas where the units A5.261 or A5.242 would normally develop as these biotopes are often found in more sheltered areas adjacent to A5.136.
Temporal variation: The importance of the cumacean crustaceans in this biotope is unusual, and their numbers are likely to fluctuate over time; at times of increased disturbance it is likely that C. setosa will become more dominant.


hname:
Dense [Lanice conchilega] and other polychaetes in tide-swept infralittoral sand and mixed gravelly sand

description:
Dense beds of [Lanice conchilega] occur in coarse to medium fine gravelly sand in the shallow sublittoral, where there are strong tidal streams or wave action. Several other species of polychaete also occur as infauna e.g. [Spiophanes bombyx], [Scoloplos armiger], [Chaetozone setosa] and [Magelona mirabilis]. Lanice beds are found in a wide range of habitats including muddier mixed sediment. The dense [Lanice] biotope (A5.137) on certain lower shores may be a littoral extension of the current biotope. The presence of [L. conchilega] in high numbersmay, over time, stabilise the sediment to the extent where a more diverse community may develop (Wood, 1987). Possibly as a result of this, there is a high level of variation with regard the infauna found in A5.137. It is likely that a number of sub-biotopes may subsequently be identified for this biotope. Offshore from the Wash and the North Norfolk coast [Lanice] beds are often found intermixed with [Sabellaria spinulosa] beds in muddier mixed sediment, particularly in the channels between the shallow sandbanks, which are so prevalent in this area (IECS, 1995; NRA, 1995). It is possible that the presence of [Lanice] has stabilised the habitat sufficiently to allow the deposition of finer material, which has subsequently assisted the development of [S. spinulosa]. It may be more accurate to define A5.137 as an epibiotic biotope which overlays a variety of infaunal biotopes (e.g. A5.233 in finer sands and A5.261 or A5.242 in slightly muddier areas).


hname:
Association with rhodolithes in coarse sands and fine gravels mixed by waves

description:
This association occurs on coarse sands and fine gravels subjected to strong hydrodynamic action. Calcareous algae are attached to a small mineral or organic surface and then grow in successive layers to form rhodolithes of more or less nodulous shape and varying size.


description:
This facies is characterised by the abundance of the little clingfish [Gouania willdenovii] that live in shallow waters.


hname:
Greenland cockle [Serripes] in shallow coarse sand (influenced by warm low-salinity melt water) of the Arctic


hname:
Pontic clean medium-coarse sands with bivalve associations


hname:
Medium-coarse clean sands with [Donax trunculus] and sometimes [Donacilla cornea]

description:
Other species present in the biocenosis: [Ciclopa perinitea], [Nassarius nitidus], [Diogenus pugillatus].


hname:
Medium-coarse clean sands with [Chamelea gallina]


hname:
Medium-coarse clean sands with [Anadara inaequivalvis]


hname:
Coarse sands with [Gouldia minima] and amphipods


hname:
Pontic offshore infralittoral coarse sand banks


hname:
Pontic [Aonides ornatus], [Modiolus adriaticus] and [Gouldia minima] in coarse sand with shell gravel


hname:
Pontic [Branchiostoma lanceolatum], [Protodorvillea kefersteini] and [Ophelia limacina] in coarse sand with shell gravel


hname:
Pontic infralittoral wave-lashed fine gravels and coarse sands


hname:
Pontic infralittoral sheltered cobbles, pebbles and shelly gravels with encrusting spirorbid worms


hname:
Pontic scoured sublittoral cobbles and pebbles with sparse crustaceans


hname:
Pontic silted cobbles with [Balanus eburneus], ascidians, [Actinia aequina], [Mytilus galloprovincialis] and [Pisidia longicornis]


description:
Tide-swept circalittoral coarse sands, gravel and shingle generally in depths of over 15-20m. This habitat may be found in tidal channels of marine inlets, along exposed coasts and offshore. This habitat, as with shallower coarse sediments, may be characterised by robust infaunal polychaetes, mobile crustacea and bivalves. Certain species of sea cucumber (e.g. [Neopentadactyla]) may also be prevalent in these areas along with the lancelet [Branchiostoma lanceolatum].


hname:
[Pomatoceros triqueter] with barnacles and bryozoan crusts on unstable circalittoral cobbles and pebbles

description:
This biotope is characterised by a few ubiquitous robust and/or fast growing ephemeral species which are able to colonise pebbles and unstable cobbles and slates which are regularly moved by wave and tidal action. The main cover organisms tend to be restricted to calcareous tube worms such as [Pomatoceros triqueter] (or [P. lamarcki)], small barnacles including [Balanus crenatus] and [Balanus balanus], and a few bryozoan and coralline algal crusts. Scour action from the mobile substratum prevents colonisation by more delicate species. Occasionally in tide-swept conditions tufts of hydroids such as [Sertularia argentea] and [Hydrallmania falcata] are present. This biotope often grades into A5.444 which is characterised by large amounts of the above hydroids on stones also covered in [Pomatoceros] and barnacles. The main difference here is that A5.444, seems to develop on more stable, consolidated cobbles and pebbles or larger stones set in sediment in moderate tides. These stones may be disturbed in the winter and therefore long-lived and fragile species are not found.
Situation: This biotope is found on exposed open coasts as well as at the entrance to marine inlets.


hname:
[Mediomastus fragilis], [Lumbrineris] spp. and venerid bivalves in circalittoral coarse sand or gravel

description:
Circalittoral gravels, coarse to medium sands, and shell gravels, sometimes with a small amount of silt and generally in relatively deep water (generally over 15-20m), may be characterised by polychaetes such as [Mediomastus fragilis], [Lumbrineris] spp., [Glycera lapidum] with the pea urchin [Echinocyamus pusillus]. Other taxa may include Nemertea spp., [Protodorvillea kefersteini, Owenia fusiformis, Spiophanes bombyx] and [Amphipholis squamata] along with amphipods such as [Ampelisca spinipes]. This biotope may also be characterised by the presence of conspicuous venerid bivalves, particularly [Timoclea ovata]. Other robust bivalve species such as [Moerella] spp., [Glycymeris glycymeris] and [Astarte sulcata] may also be found in this biotope. [Spatangus purpureus] may be present especially where the interstices of the gravel are filled by finer particles, in which case, [Gari tellinella] may also be prevalent (Glemarec 1973). Venerid bivalves are often under-sampled in benthic grab surveys and as such may not be conspicuous in many infaunal datasets. Such communities in gravelly sediments may be relatively species-rich and they may also contain epifauna such as [Hydroides norvegicus] and [Pomatoceros lamarcki]. In sand wave areas this biotope may also contain elements of the A5.242 biotope, particularly [Magelona] species. This biotope has previously been described as the 'Deep [Venus] Community' and the 'Boreal Off-Shore Gravel Association' by other workers (Ford 1923; Jones 1950) and may also be part of the Venus community described by Thorson (1957) and in the infralittoral etage described by Glemarec (1973). A5.142 may be quite variable over time and in fact may be closer to a biotope complex in which a number of biotopes or sub-biotopes may yet be defined. For example, Ford (1923) describes a 'Series A' and a 'Series B' characterised by [Echinocardium cordatum-Chamelea gallina] and [Spatangus purpurea-Clausinella fasciata]. Furthermore, mosaics of cobble and lag gravel often contain ridges of coarse gravelly sand and these localised patches are also characterised by robust veneriid and similar bivalves including [Arcopagia crassa, Laevicardium crassum] and others including [Glycymeris glycymeris] (E.I.S. Rees pers. comm. 2002). This high porosity fine gravel or coarse sand may be a separate biotope.
Situation: This biotope and variants of it make up a significant proportion of the offshore Irish Sea benthos (Mackie, Oliver & Rees 1995).
Temporal variation: A5.142 may be quite variable over time.


hname:
[Protodorvillea kefersteini] and other polychaetes in impoverished circalittoral mixed gravelly sand

description:
In coarse gravelly or shelly sand sometimes with a slight mud content, along open coasts in depths of 10 to 30m, and in shallower offshore areas, an impoverished community characterised by [Protodorvillea kefersteini] may be found. This biotope has a number of other species associated with it including Nemertea spp., [Caulleriella] [zetlandica], [Minuspio cirrifera], [Glycera lapidum], [Ampelisca spinipes] and numerous other polychaete species all occurring at low abundances. The polychaete [Sabellaria spinulosa] is also found in low numbers in this biotope
Situation: This biotope has been reported in the North Sea along the Norfolk/Lincolnshire coast located in and around marine aggregate dredging areas (IECS, 1999).
Temporal variation: This biotope may be quite variable both spatially and temporally in terms community structure and also sediment type which is often borderline between  A5.1 & subunits and A5.4 and subunits.


hname:
[Neopentadactyla mixta] in circalittoral shell gravel or coarse sand

description:
Sublittoral plains of clean, shell, maerl and / or stone gravels or sometimes coarse sands, with frequent [Neopentadactyla mixta]. [Pecten maximus] may occur occasionally along with [Lanice conchilega]. Other epifaunal species may include [Ophiura albida, Pagurus] spp. and [Callionymus] spp. These sediments may be thrown into dunes by wave action or tidal streams. Widespread species such as [Cerianthus lloydii] and [Chaetopterus variopedatus] are present in many examples of this biotope. Scarcely recorded species such as [Molgula oculata], [Ophiopsila annulosa] and [Amphiura securigera] may also be found. [O. annulosa] only occurs in records from the south-west of the British Isles. It should be noted that [Neopentadactyla] may exhibit periodicity in its projection out of, and retraction into, the sediment (Picton 1993).This biotope may be an epibiotic overlay of  unit A5.142.
Situation: This biotope may occur adjacent to maerl beds and to some extent in the lower infralittoral where some seaweeds may occur in low abundances.


hname:
Branchiostoma lanceolatum in circalittoral coarse sand with shell gravel

description:
Gravel and coarse sand with shell gravel often contains communities of robust venerid bivalves (A5.142). Shallower examples, such as the biotope presented here, may support a significant population of [Branchiostoma lanceolatum]. Other conspicuous infauna may include [Echinocyamus pusillus], [Glycera lapidum], [Polygordius, Pisione remota] and [Arcopagia crassa] (in the south of UK). Sessile epifauna are typically a minor component of this community. This biotope has been described from a limited number of records and as such may need revising when further data become available. This biotope is related to the 'Boreal Offshore Gravel Association' and 'Deep [Venus] Community' described by other workers (Ford 1923; Jones 1951), and may also be closely allied (the same?) as the '[Venus fasciata]' community of Cabioch (Glemarec 1973). This biotope may be an epibiotic overlay of the biotope A5.133 or A5.142.


hname:
Scallops on shell gravel and sand with some sand scour


description:
Offshore (deep) circalittoral habitats with coarse sands and gravel or shell. This habitat may cover large areas of the offshore continental shelf although there is relatively little quantitative data available. Such habitats are quite diverse compared to shallower versions of this habitat and generally characterised by robust infaunal polychaete and bivalve species. Animal communities in this habitat are closely related to offshore mixed sediments and in some areas settlement of [Modiolus modiolus] larvae may occur and consequently these habitats may occasionally have large numbers of juvenile [M. modiolus]. In areas where the mussels reach maturity their byssus threads bind the sediment together, increasing stability and allowing an increased deposition of silt leading to the development of the biotope A5.622.


hname:
[Glycera lapidum], [Thyasira] spp. and [Amythasides macroglossus] in offshore gravelly sand

description:
Offshore (deep) circalittoral habitats with coarse sands and gravel, stone or shell and occasionally a little silt (<5%) may be characterised by the polychaetes [Glycera lapidum] and [Amythasides macroglossus] with the bivalve [Thyasira] spp. (particularly [Thyasira succisa]). Other taxa include polychaetes such as [Exogone verugera], [Notomastus latericeus], [Spiophanes kroyeri],[Aphelochaeta marioni] ([Tharyx marioni]) and [Lumbrineris gracilis] and occasional numbers of the bivalve [Timoclea ovata]. This biotope bears some resemblance to the shallow A5.135 and also to the circalittoral and offshore venerid biotopes (units A5.142 and A5.451) but differs by the range of polychaete and bivalve fauna present. This biotope is notable for the presence of the rarely recorded ampharetid polychaete [Amythasides macroglossus] and also for the small ear file clam [Limatula subauriculata] which is common in some examples of this biotope.


hname:
[Hesionura elongata] and [Protodorvillea kefersteini] in offshore coarse sand

description:
Offshore (deep) circalittoral habitats with coarse sand may support populations of the interstitial polychaete [Hesionura elongata] with [Protodorvillea kefersteini]. Other notable species include the phyllodocid polychaete [Protomystides limbata] and the bivalve [Moerella pygmaea]. This biotope was reported in the offshore northern North Sea by Eleftheriou and Basford (1989). Relatively little data exists for this biotope.


hname:
Pontic offshore shell gravel in strong currents


hname:
Pontic offshore shell gravel with crustose corallines, sparse [Phyllophora crispa] and [Mytilus galloprovincialis]


hname:
Pontic offshore barren shell gravel with [Polydora ciliata]


hname:
Pontic very deep Wurmian shell gravel of the shelf margin


description:
Clean medium to fine sands or non-cohesive slightly muddy sands on open coasts, offshore or in estuaries and marine inlets. Such habitats are often subject to a degree of wave action or tidal currents which restrict the silt and clay content to less than 15%. This habitat is characterised by a range of taxa including polychaetes, bivalve molluscs and amphipod crustacea.


hname:
Semi-permanent tube-building amphipods and polychaetes in sublittoral sand

description:
Sublittoral marine sand in moderately exposed or sheltered inlets and voes in shallow water may support large populations of semi-permanent tube-building amphipods and polychaetes. Typically dominated by [Corophium crassicorne] with other tube building amphipods such as [Ampelisca] spp. also common. Other taxa include typical shallow sand fauna such as [Spiophanes bombyx], [Urothoe elegans], [Bathyporeia] spp. along with various polychaetes including [Exogone hebes] and [Lanice conchilega]. [Polydora ciliata] may also be abundant in some areas. At the sediment surface, Arenicola marina worm casts may be visible and occasional seaweeds such as [Laminaria saccharina] may be present. As many of the sites featuring this biotope are situated near to fish farms it is possible that it may have developed as the result of moderate nutrient enrichment. The distribution of this biotope is poorly known and like the muddier A5.335, to which it is related, appears to have a patchy distribution.
Temporal variation: It is possible that this biotope is a temporal or spatial variant of other more stable biotopes resulting from localised changes to sediment stability and organic status.


hname:
Mediterranean communities of fine sands in very shallow waters

description:
These assemblages occur in very shallow water with seabottoms characterised by fine sands, usually with homogenous granulometry and of terrigenous origin.


description:
This facies is present in shallow water and is characterised by the mollusc bivalve [Lentidium mediterraneum].


hname:
Mediterranean communities of well sorted fine sands

description:
This biocenosis often occupies vast areas along low coasts and in the bottoms of wide bays at depths 2 - 25 metres.The characteristic species are pelecypod molluscs (e.g. [Donax venustus], [Tellina pulchella], [Tellina planata], [Cardium tuberculatum]), gastropods (e.g. [Nassa mutabilis] and [Neverita josephina]), crustaceans (e.g. [Crangon crangon] and [Iphinoe josephina]) and small fish (e.g. [Gobius microps], [Callionymus belenus], [Solea solea] and [Trachinus draco]).


hname:
Pontic communities of well sorted fine sands


hname:
Pontic shallow fine sands with [Lentidium mediterraneum], [Cerastoderma glaucum], [Cyclope neritea] and amphipod tubes


hname:
Pontic well sorted fine sands with [Lentidium mediterraneum], [Mya arenaria], [Anadara inaequivalvis] and [Crangon crangon]


hname:
Pontic fine sands with [Donax venustus], [Lentidium mediterraneum] and [Lucinella divaricata]


hname:
Pontic shallow clean fine sands with [Chamelea gallina], [Lentidium mediterraneum] and [Divaricella divaricata]

description:
This is a facies of the Pontic well sorted infralittoral fine sands.  The [Chamelea gallina] community characterised by the dominant species - [Neanthes succinea], [Spio filicornis], [Mohrensternia lineolata], occurred in Karkinitska Bay (Sinegub 2006). Since 2005 this mollusc (with [Neanthes succinea], [Polydora ciliata], [Heteromastus filiformis], [Melinna palmata], [Balanus improvisus])  has formed a community in the Odessa region (Sinegub unpubl). This habitat has been commercially exploited in Turkey between 1985-2000.


hname:
Pontic fine sands with [Loripes lacteus], [Pestarella candida] and [Tellina tenuis ]


hname:
Pontic fine sands with [Lucinella divaricata], [Abra alba] and [Upogebia pusilla]


hname:
Pontic fine sands with [Arenicola marina]


hname:
Pontic fine sands with [Chamelea gallina], [Cyclope neritea] and [Nassarius nitidus]


hname:
Pontic fine sands with [Solen marginatus]

description:
This habitat is found in or around [Zostera] meadows when the latter is sparse.


hname:
Pontic fine sand with [Anadara inequivalvis]

description:
This facies was found out in Zhebriyanska Bay (1992-2002) and is considered a habitat that is vulnerable to pollution.


hname:
Pontic fine and muddy sands with [Mya arenaria]

description:
The [Mya arenaria] biocoenosis can be found on sandy and silty-sandy sediments, in habitats which mainly disperse into fresh waters (Gomoiou 1981, Petran and Gomoiou 1972, Zaitsev and Alexandrov 1998).  This allochtonous species, recorded for the first time in the Black Sea in 1966, is tolerant to pollution and as such has substituted [Lentidium mediterraneum], where this biocenosis has disappeared as a result of habitat degradation. This biocenosis is now present in the estuarine regions of the northwestern Black Sea.  The dominant species (Mya) accounts for an average of 80% of the total density and biomass of the biocenosis itself.  In areas with conspicuous river run-off such as the Danube-Dnester this value can rise to as much as 96%.  The accompanying species are the polichaetes [Nereis succinea] and [Polydora ciliata limicola].  (Zaitsev and Alexandrov 1998).


description:
Non-cohesive muddy sand (with 5% to 20% silt/clay) in the infralittoral zone, extending from the extreme lower shore down to more stable circalittoral zone at about 15-20 m. The habitat supports a variety of animal-dominated communities, particularly polychaetes ([Magelona mirabilis], [Spiophanes bombyx] and [Chaetozone setosa]), bivalves ([Fabulina fibula] and [Chamelea gallina]) and the urchin [Echinocardium cordatum].


hname:
[Echinocardium cordatum] and [Ensis] spp. in lower shore and shallow sublittoral slightly muddy fine sand

description:
Sheltered lower shore and shallow sublittoral sediments of sand or muddy fine sand in fully marine conditions, support populations of the urchin [Echinocardium cordatum] and the razor shell [Ensis siliqua] or [Ensis ensis]. Other notable taxa within this biotope include occasional [Lanice conchilega], [Pagurus] and [Liocarcinus] spp. and [Asterias rubens]. This biotope has primarily been recorded by epifaunal dive, video or trawl surveys where the presence of relatively conspicuous taxa such as E. cordatum and Ensis spp. have been recorded as characteristic of the community. However, these species, particularly [E. cordatum] have a wide distribution and are not necessarily the best choice for a characteristic taxa (Thorson, 1957). Furthermore, detailed quantitative infaunal data for this biotope is often rather scarce, possibly as a result of survey method as remote grab sampling is likely to under-estimate deep-burrowing species such as [Ensis] sp. (Warwick & Davis 1977). Consequently, it may be better to treat this biotope as an epibiotic overlay which is likely to overlap a number of other biotopes such as units A5.242, A5.233 and A5.261 with infaunal components of these biotopes occurring within A5.241. The precise nature of this infaunal community will be related to the nature of the substratum, in particular the quantity of silt/clay present. Infaunal species may include the polychaetes [Spiophanes bombyx], [Magelona mirabilis], [Nephtys cirrosa] and [Chaetozone setosa] and the amphipod [Bathyporeia] spp. This biotope is currently broadly defined and needs further consideration as to whether it should be placed at biotope or biotope complex level. A5.243 is another biotope based primarily on epibiotic data. It is likely that this biotope and A5.241 form a wider epibiotic sand /muddy sand community with A5.241 biased towards sandier areas and A5.243 towards slightly muddier areas.


hname:
Boreal Baltic narrow inlets with soft mud substrate


hname:
Sublittoral mud in variable salinity (estuaries)

description:
Shallow sublittoral muds, extending from the extreme lower shore into the subtidal in variable salinity (estuarine) conditions. Such habitats typically support communities characterised by oligochaetes, and polychaetes such as [Aphelochaeta marioni]. In lowered salinity conditions the sediments may include a proportion of coarser material, where the silt content is sufficient to yield a similar community to that found in purer muds.


hname:
[Polydora ciliata] and [Corophium volutator] in variable salinity infralittoral firm mud or clay

description:
Variable salinity clay and firm mud characterised by a turf of the polychaete [Polydora ciliata] along with the amphipod [Corophium volutator]. Other important taxa include the polychaetes [Pygospio elegans], [Hediste diversicolor, Streblospio shrubsolii] and the oligochaete [Tubificoides benedii]. [P. ciliata] also occurs in high densities elsewhere (see unit A4.232) and may be a specific feature of the Humber Estuary in these conditions. This biotope occurs only in very firm mud and clay and possibly submerged relict saltmarsh with a high detrital content. It is characterised, and can be separated from other biotopes, by a combination of the sediment characteristics and the very high density of [Polydora ciliata]. In some areas, such as the Humber estuary, cyclical behaviour with regard its characteristic taxa has been reported with either [P. ciliata] or [C. volutator] increasing in dominance at the expense of the other (Gameson 1982). It is possible that changes in water quality or the sediment regime may be responsible for this.


hname:
[Aphelochaeta marioni] and [Tubificoides] spp. in variable salinity infralittoral mud

description:
Variable salinity cohesive muddy sediment (sometimes with some coarser material) dominated by the polychaete [Aphelochaeta marioni] (or other [Aphelochaeta] species e.g. [A. amplivasatus]) and the oligochaete [Tubificoides] spp. These taxa are generally accompanied by [Nephtys hombergii] whilst the polychaetes [Capitella capitata] and [Melinna palmata] may also occur in high numbers in some areas. Other members of the cirratulid polychaete group e.g. [Caulleriella zetlandica]. and [Tharyx] spp[]. may also occur in high numbers, sometimes replacing [A. marioni] as the dominant polychaete. However, there is still inconsistency in the identification of the cirratulid group which is further compounded by fragmentation during sample processing. This biotope is very common in stable muddy environments and may extend from reduced salinity to fully marine conditions.
Situation: This biotope may also be found in conjunction with A5.331.


hname:
[Nephtys hombergii] and [Tubificoides] spp. in variable salinity infralittoral soft mud

description:
Variable salinity soft infralittoral mud and sandy mud characterised by the polychaete [Nephtys hombergii] and oligochaetes of the genus [Tubificoides]. Other characterising species that may be present are the polychaetes [Streblospio shrubsolii] and [Aphelochaeta marioni], and the cumacean [Diastylis rathkei typica].
Situation: The biotope is found in areas of silt deposition in soft and sandy muds but may not form a stable habitat. It may be found adjacent to A5.322, separated by the abundance of [Aphelochaeta marioni] and its more cohesive sediments


description:
Fluid mobile mud suspended and deposited on each tide. In areas with very high quantities of suspended particulate material in the water column it may become deposited around slack water when tidal currents fall. This can form fluid mud layers up to several metres thick (Warwick & Uncles 1980) becoming a transient habitat in its own right. Species present within this biotope will be those washed in from other communities such as [Nephtys hombergii] or [Capitella capitata]. This biotope may be under-recorded due to sampling problems, and also where sediment descriptions are absent from field data.
Situation: It may be found adjacent to; A5.326, A5.323 and to some extent A5.322.


hname:
[Capitella capitata] and [Tubificoides] spp. in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sediment

description:
Reduced or variable salinity muddy sediment characterised by the [Capitella capitata] species complex with a relatively low species richness. Large numbers of the oligochaetes [Tubificoides] spp. may be found in conjunction with [C. capitata], along with other species such as [Marenzellaria] sp, [Macoma balthica], [Arenicola marina] and [Eteone longa]. In some estuaries this biotope may also include high numbers of the polychaete [Ophryotrocha]. This biotope usually has a moderate organic content, and is found away from tidal channels in estuaries. The presence of dense [Capitella] has classically been associated with organically enriched and physically disturbed habitats in the marine environment (Warren 1977; Pearson & Rosenberg 1978) and areas of higher organic loads in estuaries will typically fall into  unit A5.336. Where Capitella is less abundant and accompanied by other typical estuarine species the dominance of Capitella may be associated with other natural factors including the occurrence of a competitive refuge for [C. capitata] in the reduced-salinity environment (Wolff 1973).


hname:
Oligochaetes in variable or reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sediment

description:
Reduced or variable salinity muddy and sandy mud sediments characterised by oligochaetes, particularly of the genus [Tubificoides] or from the group Enchytraeidae. The abundance of the oligochaetes may vary by several orders of magnitude but very few other species will be present. Organic loading and poor water-exchange within the sediment lead to anoxic conditions which may explain the low species richness within this biotope.
Situation: This biotope is found towards the edges of tidal channels in estuaries where current velocities allow deposition of silt and the establishment of an infaunal community. The biotope may occur downstream of A5.327, differentiated by the absence of the freshwater species, and adjacent to more mobile and sandier biotopes in the tidal channels.


hname:
[Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri], [Tubifex tubifex] and [Gammarus] spp. in low salinity infralittoral muddy sediment

description:
Upper estuary muddy sediments with very low fluctuating salinity, characterised by the oligochaetes [Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri] and [Tubifex tubifex]. Other taxa may include [Marenzelleria wireni], [Gammarus zaddachi], [Paranais litoralis] and [Heterochaeta costata]. The biotope contains elements of both freshwater and brackish communities.
Situation: This biotope is found in the transitional zone between the freshwater and brackish environments where tidal currents are sufficiently reduced to allow the deposition of fine silt and the establishment of an infaunal community. It may be found adjacent to A5.223 away from the stronger tidal streams.
Temporal variation: The position of this biotope in the estuary may vary seasonally depending on freshwater input (Gameson, 1982).


hname:
Pontic mud with [Spisula subtruncata], [Syndesmia fragilis], and [Cardium paucicostatum] in low and variable salinity

description:
The  biocenosis has been observed in areas of low salinity in proximity of estuaries (Tiganus, 1976 describes an area in proximity of the Danube estuary).  The dominant species is [Syndesmia fragilis] in terms of numerical presence.  The biocenosis is characterised by a lower quantitative presence of [Spisula subtruncata] and [Cardium paucicostatum], a high presence of the polychaete [Melinna palmata] and a rich meiobenthic fauna characterised by Kinorhyncha, Nematoda, Oligochaeta and Copepods (Tiganus 1976).  The biocenosis is recently characterised by the dominant presence of the allochtonous mollusc, [Mya arenaria], which has caused a variation in the composition of this biocenosis (Gomoiu 1976).


description:
Infralittoral, cohesive sandy mud, typically with over 20% silt/clay, in depths of less than 15-20 m. This habitat is generally found in sheltered bays or marine inlets and along sheltered areas of open coast. Typical species include a rich variety of polychaetes including [Melinna palmate], tube building amphipods ([Ampelisca] spp.) and deposit feeding bivalves such as [Macoma balthica] and [Mysella bidentata]. Sea pens such as [Virgularia mirabilis] and brittlestars such as [Amphiura] spp. may be present but not in the same abundances as found in deeper circalittoral waters.


hname:
[Nephtys hombergii] and [Macoma balthica] in infralittoral sandy mud

description:
Near-shore shallow sandy muds and muds, and sometimes mixed sediments, may be characterised by the presence of the polychaete [Nephtys hombergii] and the bivalve [Macoma balthica]. [Abra alba], and [Nucula nitidosa] may also be important although they may not necessarily occur simultaneously or in high numbers. Other taxa include [Spiophanes bombyx], Lagis koreni], and [Echinocardium cordatum]. In some areas [Scoloplos armiger] and [Crangon crangon] may also be present. The community appears to be quite stable (Dewarumez [et al]. 1992) and the substratum is typically rich in organic content. This community has been included in the 'Boreal Offshore Muddy Sand Association' of Jones (1950) and is also described by several other authors (Petersen 1918; Cabioch & Gla‡on 1975). A similar community may occur in deep water in the Baltic (Thorson 1957). This biotope may occur in slightly reduced salinity estuarine conditions where [Mya] sp. may become a significant member of the community (Thorson 1957).
Situation: The community may occur in small patches or swathes in shallow waters parallel to the shore (Jones 1950; Cabioch & Gla‡on 1975) or in shallow nearshore depressions or trenches where finer material collects e.g. off the Suffolk coast (IECS 1991). This biotope is known to occur in patches between Denmark and the western English Channel.
Temporal variation: Sites with A5.331 may develop into [Amphiura] biotopes with time (E.I.S. Rees pers. comm. 1996)


hname:
[Sagartiogeton undatus] and [Ascidiella aspersa] on infralittoral sandy mud

description:
Sheltered sublittoral mud or sandy mud in shallow water with relatively few conspicuous species may be characterised by the anemone [Sagartiogeton undatus] in low numbers and the tunicate [Ascidiella] [aspersa]. Other taxa may include [Carcinus maenas], [Pagurus bernhardus] and terebellid polychaetes. The burrowing anemones [Cerianthus lloydii] may also be found occasionally. The status of this biotope is uncertain at present as it is not known whether it is an impoverished, disturbed or epifaunal variant of other sheltered, shallow mud biotopes such as A5.343 or if the areas in which it has been recorded have been incompletely surveyed.


hname:
[Mysella bidentata] and [Abra] spp. in infralittoral sandy mud

description:
Cohesive sandy mud, sometimes with a small quantity of shell in shallow water may contain the bivalves [Mysella bidentata] and [Abra] spp. (typically [A. alba] and [A. nitida]). Other characteristic taxa may include [Scoloplos armiger], [Mya] sp., and [Thyasira flexuosa]. Tube building amphipods are also characteristic of this biotope in particular [Ampelisca] spp. and Aoridae such as [Microprotopus maculatus].
Situation: This biotope is generally found in sheltered marine inlets or sealochs such as Strangford Lough.


hname:
[Melinna palmata] with [Magelona] spp. and [Thyasira] spp. in infralittoral sandy mud

description:
In infralittoral cohesive sandy mud, in sheltered marine inlets, and occasionally variable salinity environments, dense populations of the polychaete [Melinna palmata] may occur, often with high numbers of [Magelona] spp. and the bivalve [Thyasira flexuosa]. Other important taxa may include [Chaetozone gibber, Nephtys hombergii, Galathowenia oculata], [Euclymene oerstedii], [Ampelisca tenuicornis], [Ampharete lindstroemi], [Abra alba], and [Phoronis] sp. In addition the polychaete [Aphelochaeta] spp. and the gastropod [Turritella communis] may be common or abundant in some areas. At the sediment surface visible taxa may include occasional [Virgularia mirabilis], and mobile epifauna such as [Pagurus bernhardus]. This biotope is characteristic in many southern UK marine inlets and in some areas e.g. Plymouth Sound during high levels of recruitment when [M. palmata] often occurs in abundances between 500 to 1000 per m2 moderate numbers of the species often 'overspill' into adjacent biotopes (Allen [et al]. 2001).
Situation: In many areas this biotope is found on or near the boundary between euryhaline and polyhaline waters and in such areas moderately high numbers of [Aphelochaeta] spp. are often recorded.
Temporal variation: Numbers of [M. palmata] tend to vary considerably from year to year presumably due to recruitment and/or adult mortality.


hname:
[Ampelisca] spp., [Photis longicaudata] and other tube-building amphipods and polychaetes in infralittoral sandy mud

description:
Sublittoral stable cohesive sandy muds occurring over a wide depth range may support large populations of semi-permanent tube-building amphipods and polychaetes. In particular large numbers of the amphipods [Ampelisca] spp. and [Photis longicaudata] may be present along with polychaetes such as [Lagis koreni]. Other important taxa may include bivalves such as [Nucula nitidosa], [Chamelea gallina], [Abra alba] and [Mysella bidentata] and the echinoderms [Echinocardium cordatum] and [Amphiura brachiata]. In some areas polychaetes such as [Spiophanes bombyx] and [Polydora ciliata] may also be conspicuously numerous. This community is poorly known, appearing to occur in restricted patches. In some areas it is possible that A5.335 may develop as a result of moderate organic enrichment. A similar community in mud has also been reported in the Baltic which is characterised by large populations of amphipods such as [Ampelisca] spp., [Corophium] spp. and [Haploops tubicola] (see Petersen 1918; Thorson 1957) and it is not known if A5.335 is a UK variant of this biotope.
Temporal variation: In some areas of the Irish Sea this biotope is reported to be a temporal variant of units A5.244, A5.261 and A5.355. Some researchers consider these biotopes to be part of a wider muddy sand community which varies temporally depending on changes in sediment deposition and recruitment as was reported in areas of Red Wharf Bay off the Welsh coast (E.I.S. Rees pers. comm. 2002)


hname:
[Capitella capitata] in enriched sublittoral muddy sediments

description:
The polychaete [Capitella capitata] (agg.) a widely-occurring, opportunist species complex that is particularly associated with organically enriched and polluted sediments (Warren 1977; Pearson & Rosenberg 1978) where it may be superabundant. In very polluted/disturbed areas only [Capitella], Nematodes and occasional [Malacoceros fuliginosus] may be found whilst in slightly less enriched areas and estuaries species such as [Tubificoides], [Cirriformia tentaculata], [Pygospio elegans] and [Polydora ciliata] may also be found. In some areas e.g. the Tees estuary, high numbers of the polychaete [Ophryotrocha] may also be present. A5.336 may become established as a result of anthropogenic activities such as fish farming and sewerage effluent but may also occur with natural enrichment as a result of, for example, coastal bird roosts. This biotope may also occur to some extent in the intertidal and in estuaries.
Situation: This biotope typically occurs in marine inlets, embayments or estuaries where organic enrichment allows [C. capitata] to out compete other taxa, although the species may also occur in enriched muddy coastal sediments and also offshore where there is a high organic input from adjacent oil drilling platforms (units A5.374 & A5.3741).


description:
The most abundant species is [Aricidea claudiae], considered as a species sensitive to disturbance. However the habitat is named after the terebellid worm ([Melinna palmata]) which ranks second in the abundance but has highest contribution to within-group similarity and is a key structural species.  Its dense vertical tubes consolidate the sediment and determine the specific character of the habitat.  The [Melinna palmata] biocenosis is considered a new biocenosis recorded in the mid 1970s along the Rumenian coasts (Gomoiu 1976) but was already known in 1971 in Bulgaria for quite some time (Kalugina-Gitneck, 1975).  Bacescu had described this community in 1971 but had included it as a subtype of Mytilus beds.


hname:
Pontic sandy mud with [Abra alba], Cardiidae and [Mytilus]


description:
Shallow sublittoral muds, extending from the extreme lower shore to about 15-20 m depth in fully marine or near marine conditions, predominantly in extremely sheltered areas with very weak tidal currents. Such habitats are found in sealochs and some rias and harbours. Populations of the lugworm [Arenicola marina] may be dense, with anemones, the opisthobranch [Philine aperta] and synaptid holothurians also characteristic in some areas. The extent of the oxidised layer may be shallow with some areas being periodically or permanently anoxic. In these areas bacterial mats may develop on the sediment surface. Infaunal records for this habitat type are limited encompassing only one biotope. They are therefore not representative of the full suite of infaunal species found in this biotope.


hname:
[Cerastoderma edule] with [Abra nitida] in infralittoral mud

description:
Sheltered shallow sublittoral muds and gravelly muds in marine embayments, inlets or harbours may contain populations of the edible cockle [Cerastoderma edule] with [Abra nitida]. Other taxa may include the gastropod [Hydrobia ulvae], cirraltulid polychaetes such as [Caulleriella] spp. and other polychaetes including [Hediste diversicolor] and [Aphelochaeta marioni]. Available data for this biotope are limited to parts of Southampton Water, Chichester Harbour and also in the Wash. The species list given here may therefore be far from complete. It is not known at this stage whether this biotope is a sublittoral extension of intertidal cockle beds (e.g. A2.242) or whether it exists independently of intertidal populations of [C. edule].


description:
In very shallow, extremely sheltered, very soft muds [Arenicola marina] may form very conspicuous mounds and casts. This biotope may also contain synaptid holothurians such as [Labidoplax media] and [Leptosynapta bergensis] or [L. inhaerens]. However these species may be under recorded (possibly due to periodicity in feeding) and are not considered characteristic of this biotope. Other conspicuous fauna may include [Carcinus maenas], [Asterias rubens] and [Pagurus bernhardus] whilst the scallop [Pecten maximus] and the turret shell [Turritella] [communis] may also be present in some areas.
Situation: This biotope typically occurs in waters shallower than about 5 m in sheltered basins of sealochs and lagoons that may be partially separated from the open sea by tidal narrows or rapids.
Temporal variation: Sediment surfaces may become covered by a diatom film at certain times of the year


hname:
[Philine aperta] and [Virgularia mirabilis] in soft stable infralittoral mud

description:
Physically very stable muds, occasionally with small stones, with a high proportion of fine material (typically greater than 80 %) may contain the opisthobranch [Philine aperta] and the seapen [Virgularia mirabilis]. These muds typically occur in shallow water down to about 12-15 m where significant seasonal variation in temperature is presumed to occur. This habitat is restricted to the most sheltered basins in, for example, sealochs. Although most records suggest full salinity conditions are prevalent, some sites may be subject to variable salinity. [Philine aperta] is the most characteristic species of this habitat, occurring in high densities at many sites, whilst [Virgularia mirabilis], a species found more widely in muddy sediments, appears to reach its highest densities in this shallow mud but may not be present in all examples of this biotope. Other conspicuous species found in this shallow muddy habitat include [Cerianthus lloydii], [Pagurus bernhardus], [Sagartiogeton] spp. and [Hydractinia echinata]. Burrowing crustacean megafauna, characteristic of deeper mud, are rare or absent from this shallow sediment although [Nephrops norvegicus] may sometimes be recorded. This biotope has been primarily recorded on the basis of its epifauna and a few conspicuous infauna. Little data exists on the infaunal component of this biotope but it may include [Nephtys] spp., spionid polychaetes, [Ampelisca] spp. and the bivalves [Nucula] spp., [Thyasira flexuosa], [Mysella bidentata] and [Abra] spp. In the south of Great Britain, the polychaete [Sternaspis scutata] is also characteristic of this biotope. This polychaete is rare in Great Britain (Sanderson 1996). Indeed, this southern variant of the biotope is very restricted in the UK to Portland Harbour but is known to occur further south in the Gulf of Gascony and the Mediterranean (Glemarec 1973; Dauvin [et al]. 1994).
Temporal variation: It is possible that this biotope is a temporal variant of other subunits of A5.3. The key species, [Philine aperta], may be highly variable from year to year The sediment may also be covered by a diatom film at certain times of the year


hname:
[Ocnus planci] aggregations on sheltered sublittoral muddy sediment

description:
Dense aggregations of [Ocnus planci [?brunneus]] on various substrata, typically muddy but occasionally with stones or shells, in sheltered conditions such as sealochs. [Philine aperta] also characterises this biotope but is present in lower abundances than in A5.343. Other associated species vary but are typical of very sheltered muddy habitats and include the ophiuroids [Ophiura] spp. and [Ophiothrix fragilis]. [Melanella alba], which parasitises holothurians, has been found in large numbers at one site.


hname:
[Astarte crenata] beneath high salinity cold polar water


hname:
Pontic mobile muds of the River Danube mouths


description:
Circalittoral, cohesive sandy mud, typically with over 20% silt/clay, generally in water depths of over 10 m, with weak or very weak tidal streams. This habitat is generally found in deeper areas of bays and marine inlets or offshore from less wave exposed coasts. Sea pens such as [Virgularia mirabilis] and brittlestars such as [Amphiura] spp. are particularly characteristic of this habitat whilst infaunal species include the tube building polychaetes [Lagis koreni] and [Owenia fusiformis], and deposit feeding bivalves such as [Mysella bidentata] and [Abra] spp.


hname:
[Amphiura filiformis], [Mysella bidentata] and [Abra nitida] in circalittoral sandy mud

description:
Cohesive sandy mud off wave exposed coasts with weak tidal streams can be characterised by super-abundant [Amphiura filiformis] with [Mysella bidentata] and [Abra nitida]. This community occurs in muddy sands in moderately deep water (Hiscock 1984; Picton [et al]. 1994) and may be related to the 'off-shore muddy sand association' described by other workers (Jones 1951; Thorson 1957; Mackie 1990) and is part of the infralittoral etage described by Glemarec. This community is also characterised by the sipunculid [Thysanocardia procera] and the polychaetes [Nephtys incisa], [Phoronis] sp. and [Pholoe] sp., with cirratulids also common in some areas. Other taxa such as [Nephtys hombergii], [Echinocardium cordatum], [Nucula nitidosa], [Callianassa subterranea] and [Eudorella truncatula] may also occur in offshore examples of this biotope (e.g. Künitzer [et al]. 1992).


hname:
[Thyasira] spp. and [Nuculoma tenuis] in circalittoral sandy mud

description:
Circalittoral cohesive sandy muds with small quantities of gravel, off sheltered or moderately exposed coasts may support populations characterised by [Thyasira] spp. and in particular [Thyasira flexuosa]. Other characteristic taxa may include [Nuculoma tenuis], [Goniada maculate] and in some areas [Rhodine gracilior]. [Mysella bidentata], [Abra alba], [Harpinia antennaria] and [Amphiura filiformis] may be abundant in some examples of this biotope. Whilst moderately diverse, animal abundances are often low and it is possible that the biotope is the result of sedimentary disturbance e.g. from trawling and is possibly an impoverished version of A5.353. Collectively the biotopes A5.351, A5.352,  A5.353 and A5.272, may form the [Amphiura] dominated components of the 'off-shore muddy sand association' described by other workers (Jones 1951; Thorson 1957; Mackie 1990) and the infralittoral etage described by Glemarec (1973).


hname:
[Amphiura filiformis] and [Nuculoma tenuis] in circalittoral and offshore muddy sand

description:
In cohesive and non-cohesive sandy mud, off moderately exposed coasts in deep water dense populations of [Amphiura filiformis] with the bivalve [Nuculoma tenuis] may occur. This biotope together with A5.351, A5.352 and A5.272 may be part of the [Amphiura filiformis] dominated infralittoral etage described by Glemarec (1973) and part of the 'off-shore muddy sand association' described by other workers (Jones 1951; Mackie 1990). Other species characteristic of this biotope may include the echinoderms [Ophiura albida] and [Echinocardium flavescens] and the bivalve [Mysella bidentata]. [Phaxas pellucidus], [Owenia fusiformis] and [Virgularia mirabilis] may also be present. At the sediment surface the hydroid [Sertularia argentea] may be present although only at very low abundances. Variations of this biotope exist in the northern North Sea (see below) and it is possible that more than one entity exists for this biotope.


hname:
[Virgularia mirabilis] and [Ophiura] spp. with [Pecten maximus] on circalittoral sandy or shelly mud

description:
Circalittoral fine sandy mud may contain [Virgularia mirabilis] and [Ophiura] spp. A variety of species may occur, and species composition at a particular site may relate, to some extent, to the proportions of the major sediment size fractions. Several species are common to most sites including [Virgularia mirabilis] which is present in moderate numbers, [Ophiura albida] and [Ophiura ophiura] which are often quite common, and [Pecten maximus] which is usually only present in low numbers. [Virgularia mirabilis] is usually accompanied by occasional [Cerianthus lloydii], [Liocarcinus depurator] and [Pagurus bernhardus]. [Amphiura chiajei] and [Amphiura filiformis] may occur in some examples of this biotope. Polychaetes and bivalves are generally the main components of the infauna, although the nemerteans, [Edwardsia claparedii], [Phoronis muelleri] and [Labidoplax buski] may also be widespread. Of the polychaetes [Goniada maculata], [Nephtys incisa], [Minuspio cirrifera], [Chaetozone setosa], [Notomastus latericeus] and [Owenia fusiformis] are often the most widespread species whilst [Myrtea spinifera], [Lucinoma borealis], [Mysella bidentata], [Abra alba] and [Corbula gibba] are typical bivalves in this biotope. This biotope is primarily identified on the basis of its epifauna and may be an epibiotic overlay over other closely related biotopes such as A5.361, A5.351 and A5.353.
Situation: Such sediments are very common in sealochs, often occurring shallower than the finest mud or in somewhat more exposed parts of the lochs.


hname:
[Virgularia mirabilis] and [Ophiura] spp. with [Pecten maximus], hydroids and ascidians on circalittoral sandy or shelly mud with shells or stones

description:
Circalittoral fine sandy mud with shell gravel and notable quantities of shells or small stones scattered over the sediment surface. These sediments, like A5.354, may contain [Virgularia mirabilis, Pecten maximus] and [Ophiura] spp. but shells and small stones scattered over the sediment surface provided sufficient stable substrata for a variety of sessile epifaunal species to occur. Of these the hydroids [Kirchenpaueria pinnata], [Nemertesia antennina] and [Nemertesia ramosa] are most common with solitary ascidians such as [Corella parallelogramma] and [Ascidia mentula] also present. The anemone [Cerianthus lloydii] is often found in the sediment together with occasional [Lanice conchilega]. The serpulids [Protula tubularia], [Serpula vermicularis] and [Pomatoceros triqueter] and the barnacles [Balanus balanus] and [Balanus crenatus] are also often present on pebbles and shells. [Munida rugosa] are occasionally found under larger stones. All these species are typical of more rocky habitats in such sheltered conditions. As with A5.354 this biotope is primarily identified on the basis of its epifauna and may be an epibiotic overlay over other closely related biotopes such as units A5.351 and A5.353.


hname:
[Lagis koreni] and [Phaxas pellucidus] in circalittoral sandy mud

description:
In stable circalittoral sandy mud dense populations of the tube building polychaete [Lagis koreni] may occur. Other species found in this habitat typically include bivalves such as [Phaxas pellucidus], [Mysella bidentata] and [Abra alba] and polychaetes such as [Mediomastus fragilis], [Spiophanes bombyx], [Owenia fusiformis] and [Scalibregma inflatum]. At the sediment surface easily visible fauna include [Lagis koreni] and [Ophiura ophiura]. [Lagis koreni] is an important source of food for commercially important demersal fish, especially dab and plaice (Macer, 1967; Lockwood, 1980 and Basimi & Grove, 1985).
Temporal variation: In some areas e.g. Liverpool Bay, A5.261 and A5.355 have exhibited cyclical behaviour with the community periodically switching from one biotope to another - possibly in relation to dredge spoil disposal (Rees [et al]. 1992) along with other environmental and biological factors. Both [Lagis koreni] and [Phaxas pellucidus], are capable of tolerating sudden increases in the deposition of sediment and often dominate such areas following such an event. Indeed it is likely that the two biotopes are merely different aspects of the same community as [Lagis koreni] is often recorded with high densities of [Abra alba] (Eagle 1975; Rees and Walker 1983). Densities of mature populations of [L. koreni] may exceed 1000m-2


hname:
Pontic circalittoral sandy muds with [Heteromastus filiformis], [Dipolydora quadrilobata] and [Nephthys hombergii]


description:
Sublittoral muds, occurring below moderate depths of 15-20 m, either on the open coast or in marine inlets such as sealochs. The seapens [Virgularia mirabilis] and [Pennatula phosphorea] are characteristic of this habitat type together with the burrowing anemone [Cerianthus lloydii] and the ophiuroid [Amphiura] spp. The relatively stable conditions often lead to the establishment of communities of burrowing megafaunal species, such as [Nephrops norvegicus].


hname:
Seapens and burrowing megafauna in circalittoral fine mud

description:
Plains of fine mud at depths greater than about 15 m may be heavily bioturbated by burrowing megafauna; burrows and mounds may form a prominent feature of the sediment surface with conspicuous populations of seapens, typically [Virgularia mirabilis] and [Pennatula phosphorea]. The burrowing crustacea present typically include [Nephrops norvegicus], which is frequently recorded from surface observations although grab sampling may fail to sample this species. Indeed, some forms of sampling may also fail to indicate seapens as characterising species. This biotope also seems to occur in deep offshore waters in the North Sea, where densities of [Nephrops norvegicus] may reach 68 per 10 m2 (see Dyer [et al]. 1982, 1983), and the Irish Sea. The burrowing anemone [Cerianthus lloydii] and the ubiquitous epibenthic scavengers [Asterias rubens], [Pagurus bernhardus] and [Liocarcinus depurator] are present in low numbers in this biotope whilst the brittlestars [Ophiura albida] and [Ophiura ophiura] are sometimes present, but are much more common in slightly coarser sediments. Low numbers of the anemone [Pachycerianthus multiplicatus] may also be found, and this species, which is scarce in the UK, appears to be restricted to this habitat (Plaza & Sanderson 1997). The infauna may contain significant populations of the polychaetes [Pholoe] spp., [Glycera] spp., [Nephtys] spp., spionids, [Pectinaria belgica] and [Terebellides stroemi], the bivalves [Nucula sulcata], [Corbula gibba] and [Thyasira flexuosa], and the echinoderm [Brissopsis lyrifera].
Situation: These soft mud habitats occur extensively throughout the more sheltered basins of sealochs and voes (narrow inlets) and are present in quite shallow depths (as little as 15 m) in these areas probably because they are very sheltered from wave action.


hname:
Seapens, including [Funiculina quadrangularis], and burrowing megafauna in undisturbed circalittoral fine mud

description:
Deep muds, especially in sealochs, support forests of the nationally scarce [Funiculina quadrangularis], in addition to populations of the seapens [Virgularia mirabilis] and [Pennatula phosphorea]. The sediment is usually extensively burrowed by crustaceans, the most common of which is [Nephrops norvegicus], but [Calocaris macandreae] and [Callianassa subterranea] may also be present (the latter is likely to be under-recorded by grab sampling because it is deep burrowing). The burrowing anemone [Cerianthus lloydii] is present in low numbers in this biotope and the rare anemone [Pachycerianthus multiplicatus] may also be found occasionally. [Amphiura] spp. are also often present in high densities.


hname:
Burrowing megafauna and [Maxmuelleria lankesteri] in circalittoral mud

description:
In circalittoral stable mud distinctive populations of megafauna may be found. These typically include [Nephrops norvegicus], [Calocaris macandreae] and [Callianassa subterranea]. Large mounds formed by the echiuran [Maxmuelleria lankesteri] are also frequent in this biotope. The seapen [Virgularia mirabilis] may occur occasionally in this biotope but not in the same abundance as A5.361 to which A5.362 is closely allied. Infaunal species may include [Nephtys hystricis], [Chaetozone setosa, Amphiura chiajei] and [Abra alba].


hname:
[Brissopsis lyrifera] and [Amphiura chiajei] in circalittoral mud

description:
Mud in deep offshore, or shallower stable nearshore, waters can be characterised by the urchin [Brissopsis lyrifera] and the brittle star [Amphiura chiajei]. Where intense benthic dredge fishing activity occurs, populations of the indicator species, [Brissopsis lyrifera] may be depressed, although broken tests may still remain (E.I.S. Rees pers. comm. 1997; M. Costello pers. comm. 1997). Low numbers of the seapen [Virgularia mirabilis] may be found in many examples of this biotope. In addition, in certain areas of the UK such as the northern Irish Sea, this community may also contain [Nephrops norvegicus] and can consequently be the focus for fishing activity (Mackie, Oliver & Rees 1995). Infaunal species in this community are similar to those found in A5.361 and include the polychaetes [Nephtys hystricis], [Pectinaria belgica], [Glycera] spp. and [Lagis koreni] and the bivalves [Myrtea spinifera] and [Nucula sulcata]. This community is the 'Boreal Offshore Mud Association' and '[Brissopsis - Chiajei]' communities described by other workers (Petersen 1918; Jones 1950).


hname:
Silty sediments > 140 m with polychaetes [Lumbrineris fragilis], [Levinsenia gracilis] and amphipods [Eriopisa elongata]


hname:
[Spiochaetopterus] beneath high salinity Atlantic water


hname:
[Macoma calcarea] in deep-water soft clayey mud


hname:
Pontic very soft, organic-rich muds of the Danube front


hname:
Very soft muds with [Nephthys hombergii]


hname:
Soft muds with [Abra prismatica], [Acanthocardia paucicostata] and [Spisula subtruncata]


hname:
Pontic circalittoral muds with [Acanthocardia paucicostata], [Papillicardium papillosum] and hydroids


hname:
Pontic circalittoral muds with [Mya arenaria] and Spisula subtruncata


hname:
Pontic circalittoral muds with [Mellina palmata] and [Aricidea claudiae]


description:
In mud and cohesive sandy mud in the offshore circalittoral zone, typically below 50-70 m, a variety of faunal communities may develop, depending upon the level of silt/clay and organic matter in the sediment. Communities are typically dominated by polychaetes but often with high numbers of bivalves such as [Thyasira] spp., echinoderms and foraminifera.


hname:
[Ampharete falcata] turf with [Parvicardium ovale] on cohesive muddy sediment near margins of deep stratified seas

description:
Dense stands of [Ampharete falcata] tubes which protrude from muddy sediments, appearing as a turf or meadow in localised areas. These areas seem to occur on a crucial point on a depositional gradient between areas of tide-swept mobile sands and quiescent stratifying muds. Dense populations of the small bivalve [Parvicardium ovale] occur in the superficial sediment. Other infauna in this diverse biotope includes [Lumbrineris scopa], [Levinsenia] sp., [Prionospio steenstrupi], [Diplocirrus glaucus] and [Praxillella affinis] although a wide variety of other infaunal species may also be found. Both the brittlestars [Amphiura filiformis] and [Amphiura chiajei] may be present together with [Nephrops norvegicus] in higher abundance than the A5.363 or A5.351 biotopes. Substantial populations of mobile epifauna such as [Pandalus montagui] and smaller fish also occur, together with those that can cling to the tubes, such as [Macropodia] spp. A similar turf of worm tubes formed by the maldanid polychaete [Melinna cristata] has been recorded from Northumberland (Buchanan 1963). Nephrops trawling may severely damage this biotope and it is possible that such activity has destroyed examples of this biotope in the Irish Sea (E.I.S. Rees pers. comm. 2002).


hname:
Foraminiferans and [Thyasira] spp. in deep circalittoral soft mud

description:
In deep water and soft muds of Boreal and Arctic areas, a community dominated by foraminiferans and the bivalve [Thyasira] sp. (e.g. [T. croulinensis and T. pygmaea]) may occur (Thorson 1957; Künitzer [et al]. 1992). Foraminiferans such as [Saccammina], [Psammosphaera], [Haplophragmoides], [Crithionina] and [Astorhiza] are important components of this community with dead tests numbering thousands per m2 (see Stephen 1923; McIntyre 1961) and sometimes visible from benthic photography (Mackie, Oliver & Rees 1995). It is likely that a community dominated by [Astorhiza] in fine sands in the Irish Sea may be another distinct biotope (E.I.S. Rees pers. comm. 2002). Polychaetes, e.g. [Paraonis gracilis], [Myriochele heeri], [Spiophanes kroyeri], [Tharyx] sp., [Lumbrineris tetraura], are also important components of this biotope. These communities appear to have no equivalent on the continental plateau further south (Glemarec 1973) but are known from the edge of the Celtic Deep in the Irish Sea (Mackie, Oliver & Rees 1995). The benthos in these offshore areas has been shown to be principally Foraminifera and similar, rich communities may exist in Scottish sealochs (McIntyre 1961). Communities from yet deeper (northern) waters at the extremes of the North Sea may be reminiscent, although dissimilar to A5.372  (see Pearson [et al]. 1996) reflecting a higher proportion of silt/clay. A fully Arctic version of this biotope has also been described (Thorson 1934, 1957) although it should be noted that Jones (1950) considered this Boreal foraminiferan community to be part of a 'Boreal Deep Mud Association'.
Situation: This community typically occurs in water deeper than 100 m in the northern North Sea (Knitzer [et al]. 1992) and have been referred to as 'Foraminifera communities' by other workers (e.g. Stephen 1923; Thorson 1957; McIntyre 1961).


hname:
[Styela gelatinosa], [Pseudamussium septemradiatum] and solitary ascidians on sheltered deep circalittoral muddy sediment

description:
This biotope is known only from deep water in Loch Goil (Clyde sealochs) in fine mud at 65 m with terrigenous debris. Large numbers of solitary ascidians, including [Styela gelatinosa], [Ascidia conchilega], [Corella parallelogramma] and [Ascidiella] spp., are characteristic of this biotope together with the bivalve [Pseudamussium septemradiatum]. Terebellid worms, the bivalve [Abra alba] and the polychaete [Glycera tridactyla] may also occur. It is possibly an ice age relict biotope.


hname:
[Capitella capitata] and [Thyasira] spp. in organically-enriched offshore circalittoral mud and sandy mud

description:
In circalittoral and deep offshore mud and sandy mud adjacent to oil or gas platforms, organic enrichment from drill cuttings leads to the development of communities dominated by the [Capitella capitata], an opportunist especially associated with organically enriched and polluted sediments as described for A5.336 (Warren 1977; Pearson & Rosenberg 1978). The bivalves [Thyasira flexuosa] or [Thyasira sarsi] may also be found in moderate numbers at some sites. Other taxa may be present in low numbers in areas of less severe enrichment including [Pholoe inornata], [Lagis koreni], [Philine scabra], [Anaitides groenlandica], [Mediomastus fragilis] and [Paramphinome jeffreysii].


hname:
[Capitella capitata], [Thyasira] spp. and [Ophryotrocha dubia] inorganically-enriched offshore circalittoral mud or sandy mud

description:
In deep offshore sandy mud adjacent to oil or gas platforms, organic enrichment from drill cuttings leads to the development of communities dominated by the pollution tolerant opportunist [Capitella capitata] and the polychaete [Ophryotrocha dubia] (or other species of [Ophryotrocha]). These species are generally found in extremely high abundances and accompanied by [Thyasira] spp., [Raricirrus beryli], [Paramphinome jeffreysii] and [Chaetozone setosa]. Other taxa including [Exogone verugera], [Pholoe inornata] and [Idasola simpsoni] may also be present.


hname:
Baltic mixed sediment bottoms of the aphotic zone


hname:
Sublittoral mixed sediment in variable salinity (estuaries)

description:
Shallow sublittoral mixed sediments in estuarine conditions, often with surface shells or stones, enabling the development of diverse epifaunal communities, e.g. [Crepidula fornicata] (A5.422), as well as infaunal communities. This habitat type is therefore often quite species rich, compared with purer sediments.


hname:
[Aphelochaeta] spp. and [Polydora] spp. in variable salinity infralittoral mixed sediment

description:
In sheltered muddy mixed sediments in estuaries or marine inlets with variable or reduced/low salinity communities characterised by [Aphelochaeta marioni] and [Polydora ciliata] may be present. Other important taxa may include the polychaetes [Nephtys hombergii], [Caulleriella zetlandica] and [Melinna palmata], tubificid oligochaetes and bivalves such as [Abra nitida]. Conspicuous epifauna may include members of the bivalve family Cardiidae (cockles) and the slipper limpet [Crepidula fornicata]. This biotope is often found in polyhaline waters.


hname:
[Crepidula fornicata] and [Mediomastus fragilis] in variable salinity infralittoral mixed sediment

description:
Variable salinity mixed sediment characterised by the slipper limpet [Crepidula fornicata] and the polychaetes [Mediomastus fragilis] and [Aphelochaeta marioni]. Other numerically important taxa include the oligochaetes [Tubificoides benedii], syllids such as [Exogone] [naidina] and [Sphaerosyllis], and [Nephtys hombergii]. [Lepidonotus squamatus] and [Scoloplos armiger] may also be common. Shell debris and cobbles are colonised by the ascidians [Ascidiella aspersa], [Ascidiella scabra], [Molgula] sp. and [Dendrodoa grossularia] (the ascidians may not be recorded adequately by remote infaunal survey techniques).
Situation: This biotope occurs in the lower estuary where currents allow a stable environment to develop. It is associated with oyster beds and relict oyster beds, (A5.435) in southern England and Wales. It may be found adjacent to or in conjunction with A5.322 and A5.421. It may be associated with A5.433 and possibly form a component of A5.332.


description:
Shallow mixed (heterogeneous) sediments in fully marine or near fully marine conditions, supporting various animal-dominated communities, with relatively low proportions of seaweeds. This habitat may include well mixed muddy gravelly sands or very poorly sorted mosaics of shell, cobbles and pebbles embedded in mud, sand or gravel. Due to the quite variable nature of the sediment type, a widely variable array of communities may be found, including those characterised by bivalves (A5.433, A5.431, and A5.435), polychaetes (A5.432) and file shells (A5.434). This has resulted in many species being described as characteristic of this habitat type all contributing only a small percentage to the overall similarity (see below). This habitat type may also include a newly proposed [Chaetopterus] biotope (Rees pers com.) recently found in the eastern English Channel. This biotope is characterised by an undescribed [Chaetopterus] sp. and small [Lanice conchilega]. Further sampling is need in order to assess and fully characterise this potential biotope. As a result, the Chaetopterus biotope has not been included in this revision. Infaunal data for this habitat type are limited to that described in the biotope A5.433 and so are not representative of the infaunal component of the whole habitat type.


hname:
[Crepidula fornicata] with ascidians and anemones on infralittoral coarse mixed sediment

description:
Medium-coarse sands with gravel, shells, pebbles and cobbles on moderately exposed coasts may support populations of the slipper limpet [Crepidula fornicata] with ascidians and anemones. [C. fornicata] is common in this biotope though not as abundant as in the muddier estuarine biotope A5.422 to which this is related. Anemones such as [Urticina felina] and [Alcyonium digitatum] and ascidians such as [Styela clava] are typically found in this biotope. Bryozoans such as [Flustra foliacea] are also found along with polychaetes such as [Lanice conchilega]. Little information is available with regard the infauna of this biotope but given the nature of the sediment the infaunal communities are liable to resemble those in biotopes from  A5.1 and subunits. As with A5.444 this biotope could be considered a superficial or epibiotic overlay but more data is required to support this.


hname:
[Sabella pavonina] with sponges and anemones on infralittoral mixed sediment

description:
Muddy gravelly sand with pebbles off shallow, sheltered or moderately exposed coasts or embayments may support dense populations of the peacock worm [Sabella pavonina]. This community may also support populations of sponges such as [Esperiopsis fucorum], [Haliclona oculata] and [Halichondria panicea] and anemones such as [Sagartia elegans], [Cerianthus lloydii] and [Urticina felina]. Hydroids such as [Hydrallmania falcata] and the encrusting polychaete [Pomatoceros triqueter] are also important. This biotope may have an extremely diverse epifaunal community. Less is known about its infaunal component, although it is likely to include polychaetes such as Nephtys spp., [Harmothoe] spp., [Glycera] spp., syllid and cirratulid polychaetes, bivalves such as [Abra] spp., Aoridae amphipods and brittlestars such as [Amphipholis squamata].


hname:
[Venerupis senegalensis], [Amphipholis squamata] and [Apseudes latreilli] in infralittoral mixed sediment

description:
Sheltered muddy sandy gravel and pebbles in marine inlets, estuaries or embayments with variable salinity or fully marine conditions, support large populations of the pullet carpet shell [Venerupis senegalensis] with the brittlestar [Amphipholis squamata] and the tanaid [Apseudes latreilli]. This biotope may be found at a range of depths from 5m to 30m although populations of [V. senegalensis] may also be found on the low shore. Other common species within this biotope include the gastropod [Calyptraea chinensis], a range of amphipod crustacea such as [Corophium sextonae] and [Maera grossimana] and polychaetes such as [Mediomastus fragilis], [Melinna palmata], [Aphelochaeta marioni], [Syllids] and tubificid oligochaetes. Many of the available records for this biotope are from southern inlets and estuaries such as Plymouth Sound and Milford Haven but [V. senegalensis] has a much wider distribution and it should be noted that northern versions of this biotope may a have a much lower species diversity than reported here.


hname:
[Limaria hians] beds in tide-swept sublittoral muddy mixed sediment

description:
Mixed muddy gravel and sand often in tide-swept narrows in the entrances or sills of sealochs with beds or 'nests' of [Limaria hians]. The [Limaria] form woven 'nests' or galleries from byssus and fragments of seaweeds so that the animals themselves cannot be seen from above the seabed. [Modiolus modiolus] sometimes occur at the same sites lying over the top of the [Limaria] bed. Other fauna associated with this biotope include echinoderms ([Ophiothrix fragilis], [Ophiocomina nigra] and [Asterias rubens]), [Buccinum undatum], mobile crustaceans (e.g. [Pagurus bernhardus]), [Alcyonium digitatum] and hydroids such as [Plumularia setacea], [Kirchenpaueria pinnata] and [Nemertesia] spp. Sometimes red seaweeds such as [Phycodrys rubens] occur if the beds are in shallow enough water.


hname:
Oyster beds on shallow sublittoral muddy mixed sediment

description:
Dense beds of the oyster [Ostrea edulis] can occur on muddy fine sand or sandy mud mixed sediments. There may be considerable quantities of dead oyster shell making up a substantial portion of the substratum. The clumps of dead shells and oysters can support large numbers of [Ascidiella aspersa] and [Ascidiella scabra]. Sponges such as [Halichondria bowerbanki] may also be present. Several conspicuously large polychaetes, such as [Chaetopterus variopedatus] and terebellids, as well as additional suspension-feeding polychaetes such as [Myxicola infundibulum] and [Sabella pavonina] may be important in distinguishing this biotope, whilst the Opisthobranch [Philine aperta] may also be frequent in some areas. A turf of seaweeds such as [Plocamium cartilagineum], [Nitophyllum punctatum] and [Spyridia filamentosa] may also be present. This biotope description may need expansion to account for oyster beds in England.


description:
Mixed (heterogeneous) sediment habitats in the circalittoral zone (generally below 15-20 m) including well mixed muddy gravelly sands or very poorly sorted mosaics of shell, cobbles and pebbles embedded in or lying upon mud, sand or gravel. Due to the variable nature of the seabed a variety of communities can develop which are often very diverse. A wide range of infaunal polychaetes, bivalves, echinoderms and burrowing anemones such as Cerianthus lloydii are often present in such habitat and the presence of hard substrata (shells and stones) on the surface enables epifaunal species to become established, particularly hydroids such as [Nemertesia] spp and [Hydrallmania falcata]. The combination of epifauna and infauna can lead to species rich communities. Coarser mixed sediment communities may show a strong resemblance, in terms of infauna, to biotopes within the A5.1. However, infaunal data for this habitat type is limited to that described under the biotope A5.443, and so are not representative of the infaunal component of this habitat type.


hname:
[Cerianthus lloydii] and other burrowing anemones in circalittoral muddy mixed sediment

description:
Circalittoral plains of sandy muddy gravel may be characterised by burrowing anemones such as [Cerianthus lloydii]. Other burrowing anemones such as [Cereus pedunculatus], [Mesacmaea mitchellii] and [Aureliania heterocera] may be locally abundant. Relatively few conspicuous species are found in any great number in this biotope but typically they include ubiquitous epifauna such as [Asterias rubens], [Pagurus bernhardus] and [Liocarcinus depurator] with occasional terebellid polychaetes such as [Lanice conchilega] and also the clam [Pecten maximus]. [Ophiura albida] may be frequent in some areas, and where surface shell or stones are present ascidians such as [Ascidiella aspersa] may occur in low numbers.


hname:
[Cerianthus lloydii] with [Nemertesia] spp. and other hydroids in circalittoral muddy mixed sediment

description:
In sheltered muddy sandy gravel with appreciable quantities of surficial cobbles, pebbles and shells a community similar to A5.441 may develop with frequent [Cerianthus lloydii] and other burrowing anemones. However, the pebbles and cobbles embedded in the sediment are colonised by hydroids and in particular [Nemertesia antennina] and [N. ramosa]. Other hydroids may include [Kirchenpaueria pinnata] and [Halecium halecinum] whilst ascidians such as [Ascidiella aspersa] or [Corella parallelogramma] may also be present locally. [Pecten maximus] and [Pomatoceros triqueter] may also be frequent in certain areas.


hname:
Sparse [Modiolus modiolus], dense [Cerianthus lloydii] and burrowing holothurians on sheltered circalittoral stones and mixed sediment

description:
Pebbles and cobbles on mud or muddy gravel in sealochs with frequent [Cerianthus lloydii] and occasional [Modiolus modiolus]. Large burrowing holothurians may include [Psolus phantapus], [Paracucumaria hyndmani], [Thyonidium commune], [Thyone fusus] and [Leptopentacta elongate]. Many of these species only extend their tentacles above the sediment surface seasonally and are likely to be under recorded by epifaunal surveys. Other more conspicuous characterising taxa include [Pagurus bernhardus], [Asterias rubens], and [Buccinum undatum]. This biotope is well developed in the Clyde sealochs, although many examples are rather species-poor. Some examples in south-west Scottish sealochs have greater quantities of boulders and cobbles and therefore have a richer associated biota (compared with other sheltered [Modiolus] bed biotopes such as A5.623). Examples in Shetland are somewhat different in having the cucumber [Cucumaria frondosa] amongst sparse [Modiolus] beds and a slightly different balance in abundance of other species; for example the brittlestar [Ophiopholis aculeata] is more abundant in these far northern examples in the voes and narrows


hname:
[Mysella bidentata] and [Thyasira] spp. in circalittoral muddy mixed sediment

description:
In moderately exposed or sheltered, circalittoral muddy sands and gravels a community characterised by the bivalves [Thyasira] spp. (often [Thyasira flexuosa]), [Mysella bidentata] and [Prionospio fallax] may develop. Infaunal polychaetes such as [Lumbrineris gracilis], [Chaetozone setosa] and [Scoloplos armiger] are also common in this community whilst amphipods such as [Ampelisca] spp. and the cumacean [Eudorella truncatula] may also be found in some areas. The brittlestar [Amphiura filiformis] may also be abundant at some sites. Conspicuous epifauna may include encrusting bryozoans [Escharella] spp. particularly [Escharella immersa] and, in shallower waters, maerl ([Phymatolithon calcareum]), although at very low abundances and not forming maerl beds.


hname:
[Flustra foliacea] and [Hydrallmania falcata] on tide-swept circalittoral mixed sediment

description:
This biotope represents part of a transition between sand-scoured circalittoral rock where the epifauna is conspicuous enough to be considered as a biotope and a sediment biotope where an infaunal sample is required to characterise it and is possibly best considered an epibiotic overlay. [Flustra foliacea] and the hydroid [Hydrallmania falcata] characterise this biotope; lesser amounts of other hydroids such as [Sertularia argentea], [Nemertesia antennina] and occasionally [Nemertesia ramose], occur where suitably stable hard substrata is found. The anemone [Urticina feline] and the soft coral [Alcyonium digitatum] may also characterise this biotope. Barnacles [Balanus crenatus] and tube worms [Pomatoceros triqueter] may be present and the robust bryozoans [Alcyonidium diaphanum] and [Vesicularia spinosa] appear amongst the hydroids at a few sites. [Sabella pavonina] and [Lanice conchilega] may be occasionally found in the coarse sediment around the stones. In shallower (i.e. upper circalittoral) examples of this biotope scour-tolerant robust red algae such as [Polysiphonia nigrescens], [Calliblepharis] spp. and [Gracilaria gracilis] are found.
Situation: This biotope is found around most coasts, although regional differences are seen where one or two similarly scour-tolerant species such as [Styela clava] and [Crepidula fornicata] (Solent) occupy the hard substrata


hname:
[Ophiothrix fragilis] and/or [Ophiocomina nigra] brittlestar beds on sublittoral mixed sediment

description:
Circalittoral sediment dominated by brittlestars (hundreds or thousands m-2) forming dense beds, living epifaunally on boulder, gravel or sedimentary substrata. [Ophiothrix fragilis] and [Ophiocomina nigra] are the main bed-forming species, with rare examples formed by [Ophiopholis aculeate]. Brittlestar beds vary in size, with the largest extending over hundreds of square metres of sea floor and containing millions of individuals. They usually have a patchy internal structure, with localized concentrations of higher animal density. [Ophiothrix fragilis] or [Ophiocomina nigra] may dominate separately or there may be mixed populations of the two species. [Ophiothrix] beds may consist of large adults and tiny, newly-settled juveniles, with animals of intermediate size living in nearby rock habitats or among sessile epifauna. Unlike brittlestar beds on rock, the sediment based beds may contain a rich associated epifauna (Warner, 1971; Allain, 1974; Davoult & Gounin, 1995). Large suspension feeders such as the octocoral [Alcyonium digitatum], the anemone [Metridium senile] and the hydroid [Nemertesia antennina] are present mainly on rock outcrops or boulders protruding above the brittlestar-covered substratum. The large anemone [Urticina feline] may be quite common. This species lives half-buried in the substratum but is not smothered by the brittlestars, usually being surrounded by a 'halo' of clear space (Brun, 1969; Warner, 1971). Large mobile animals commonly found on Ophiothrix beds include the starfish [Asterias rubens], [Crossaster papposus] and [Luidia ciliaris], the urchins [Echinus esculentus] and [Psammechinus miliaris], edible crabs [Cancer pagurus], swimming crabs [Necora puber], [Liocarcinus] spp., and hermit crabs [Pagurus bernhardus]. The underlying sediments also contain a diverse infauna including the bivalve [Abra alba]. Warner (1971) found that numbers and biomass of sediment dwelling animals were not significantly reduced under dense brittlestar patches.


hname:
Sandy mixed sediment with [Alcyonidium diaphanum]


description:
Offshore (deep) circalittoral habitats with slightly muddy mixed gravelly sand and stones or shell. This habitat may cover large areas of the offshore continental shelf although there is relatively little data available. Such habitats are often highly diverse with a high number of infaunal polychaete and bivalve species. Animal communities in this habitat are closely related to offshore gravels and coarse sands and in some areas populations of the horse mussel Modiolus modiolus may develop in these habitats (see A5.622).


hname:
Polychaete-rich deep [Venus] community in offshore mixed sediments

description:
In offshore circalittoral slightly muddy mixed sediments, a diverse community particularly rich in polychaetes with a significant venerid bivalve component may be found. Typical species include the polychaetes [Glycera lapidum], [Aonides paucibranchiata], [Laonice bahusiensis], [Mediomastus fragilis], [Lumbrineris gracilis], [Pseudomystides limbata], [Protomystides bidentata] and syllid species and bivalves such as [Timoclea ovata], [Glycymeris glycymeris], [Spisula elliptica] and [Goodallia triangularis]. This biotope has been recorded on surveys of the Lambay and Codling Deeps and other areas of the Irish Sea and collectively with A5.142 comprise the 'Deep [Venus] Community' and the 'Boreal Off-Shore Gravel Association' as defined by other workers (Ford 1923; Jones 1950). Some examples of this biotope may have abundant juvenile [Modiolus modiolus]


hname:
Mediterranean animal communities of coastal detritic bottoms

description:
These communities occur on a substratum whose nature varies widely and depends largely on the typology of the nearby coast and of nearby infralittoral formations. This implies that substrata can sometimes be gravels and sands originating from predominant local rocks, sometimes shell debris from various molluscs, sometimes debris from branched bryozoans or debris of dead and more or less corroded [Melobesiae] spp. The interstices between these various components are partially filled by a greater or lesser proportion of sand and mud.


description:
This facies is characterised by the high abundance of the Echinoderm [Ophiura texturata].


description:
This facies is characterised by the frequent presence of tunicate colonial ascidians or "Synascidies".


description:
This facies is characterised by the frequent presence of big colonies of arborescent bryozoans, unattached or fixed to small substrata.


hname:
Water column with permanent halocline and reduced salinity


hname:
Baltic offshore deep water above the halocline


hname:
Baltic offshore deep water below the halocline


hname:
Water column with ephemeral oxygen stratification and reduced salinity


hname:
Water column with seasonal oxygen stratification and reduced salinity


description:
Low, often extensive and very homogeneous formations of Palaearctic lakeshores, pools and ditches with strongly fluctuating water regime, dominated by [Eleocharis palustris].


description:
Homogeneous [Iris pseudacorus] formations of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, rivers and brooks.


description:
Communities of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, inland seas and sea inlets, rivers and brooks, eutrophic marshes, swamps and ditches dominated by medium or medium-tall helophyte Poaceae of genera [Glyceria], [Leersia], [Socolochloa] or [Calamagrostis]. The further division of this unit is based on dominance by species of these genera.


description:
Communities of eutrophic Palaearctic waters, often with variable level, dominated by fairly tall, robust grasses of genus [Glyceria] (section [Hydropoa]).


description:
Communities of the terrestrialisation zone of Palaearctic lakes, ponds, rivers, brooks and canals, mostly with turbid water, dominated by [Leersia oryzoides].


description:
Communities of the margins of muddy shores of lakes and slow-flowing rivers of the Palaearctic domaine, from eastern Fennoscandia, eastern Germany, Lithuania and the Ukraine eastwards, including central Yakutia, dominated by [Scolochloa festucacea].


description:
Communities of the margins of Palaearctic mesotrophic acidocline lakes, rivers and swamps dominated by [Calamagrostis canescens].


description:
Communities of the margins of lakes, rivers, brooks and swamps dominated by [Phalaris arundinacea], pure or mixed with [Phragmites australis], [Carex acutiformis], [Carex elata], [Carex paniculata], [Calamagrostis canescens], [Mentha aquatica], very tolerant of drying, pollution and perturbance, susceptible of forming the landward belt of reedbeds and often characteristic of degraded systems. Vegetation of alliance [Magnocaricion elatae], suballiances [Caricenion rostratae] and [Caricenion gracilis].


hname:
Halophile [Scirpus], [Bolboschoenus] and [Schoenoplectus] beds

description:
Formations of clubrushes ([Scirpus] spp.), often accompanied by rushes ([Juncus] spp.), fringing, to a depth of 1.5 metres, brackish, saline, or sometimes fresh, waters of coastal saltmarshes, coastal lagoons, athalassic saline waterbodies, springs, salt meadows, fens and tidal rivers. [Scirpus tabernaemontani] ([Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani]), [Scirpus maritimus] ([Bolboschoenus maritimus]), [Scirpus triqueter], [Scirpus litoralis], [Scirpus pungens], with, in particular, [Juncus gerardi] and [Juncus maritimus], are typical components.


description:
Species-poor [Cladium mariscus] formations of Palaearctic riversides or lakesides, with a [Phragmition] cortège, mostly characteristic of Mediterranean regions, including North Africa, where they are, however, uncommon.


description:
Beds of large sedges [Carex rostrata], [Carex acuta], [Carex riparia], [Carex elata] in the littoral zone of freshwaters. Note that large sedge formations developed on moist soils, not inundated during most of the year, are included in D5.21.


hname:
Brackish and alkaline [Cirsium brachycephalum] beds

description:
Beds of [Bolboschoenus maritimus ssp. compactus] and [Cirsium brachycephalum] on saline soils which are species-poor and structurally simple. [Puccinellia limosa], [Tripolium pannonicum] and [Potentilla anserina] are also typical.


description:
Mediterranean beds of tall canes lining permanent or temporary water courses and water bodies. Included are beds of [Arundo donax] (C3.32) and [Saccharum ravennae] (C3.31).


hname:
Ravenna cane ([Saccharum ravennae]) communities

description:
Mediterranean and, locally, southern and southwestern Pontic, tall cane beds formed by [Imperata cylindrica], [Saccharum ravennae] ([Erianthus ravennae]), [Saccharum strictum], [Saccharum spontaneum] ([Saccharum aegyptiacum]), [Arundo plinii], [Hemarthria altissima], mostly lining temporary water courses, but also developing in damp depressions, in particular dune slacks.


hname:
Hiberno-Britannic lowland blanket bog deer-grass heaths

description:
[Scirpus cespitosus]-[Erica tetralix] wet heaths of Hiberno-Britannic lowland blanket bog slopes or tops of slopes, developed on shallower peats, in better drained situations, in more minerotrophic conditions than the communities of unit D1.111. Sphagna are less prominent in the ground layer with, in particular, a lesser prominence of [Sphagnum papillosum].


hname:
Western Irish oblong-leaved sundew flush communities

description:
Communities of western Irish lowland blanket bogs occupying slope areas submitted to surface water movement and shallow hollows, rich in [Drosera intermedia], with [Riccardia pinguis], [Rhynchospora fusca] or [Carex limosa].


hname:
Western Irish bulbous-rush flush communities

description:
Communities of western Irish lowland blanket bogs occupying shallow drainage channels and shallow pools, rich in [Juncus bulbosus], [Eleocharis multicaulis] and [Carex panicea].


hname:
Hiberno-Britannic lowland blanket bog hollows and pools

description:
Wet depressions and seeps of Hiberno-Britannic lowland blanket bogs colonized by hollow communities similar to those of raised bog hollows of unit D1.1121 or by other communities of the [Scheuchzerietalia palustris] (units D2.4, D2.3H), communities of the [Caricetalia fuscae] (unit D2.2), of the [Utricularietalia intermedio-minoris] (units C1.26, C1.45), of the [Littorelletalia] (unit C3.41) or of the [Potamogetonetalia] (units C1.24, C1.34, C1.43).


hname:
Montane blanket bogs, heather and cotton-grass often dominant

description:
Blanket bogs of high ground, hills and mountains in Scotland, Ireland, western England and Wales. Characteristic species are [Eriophorum vaginatum], [Calluna vulgaris], [Erica tetralix], [Rubus chamaemorus], [Narthecium ossifragum], [Scirpus cespitosus], [Drosera rotundifolia], [Racomitrium lanuginosum] and abundant sphagnum mosses. Some of their communities show affinities with the boreoalpine hummocks of unit D1.114.


description:
Lawn and hummock communities of upland blanket bog expanses of Britain and Ireland, mostly distributed in the Scottish Highlands, the Southern Uplands, the Pennines, the Lake District, Wales, in Orkney, in northern, western, southwestern and upland eastern Ireland, dominated by an admixture of [Eriophorum vaginatum] and ericoid shrubs, with a varying amount of sphagna and hypnoid mosses.


description:
Species-poor upland blanket bog lawn communities of the Pennines overwhelmingly dominated by an open or closed canopy of low [Eriophorum vaginatum] tussocks, with few ericoid shrubs and a sparse and patchy ground cover in which sphagna are scarce; the most common vascular associates are usually [Eriophorum angustifolium] and [Deschampsia flexuosa]. They are characteristic of heavily grazed and burned expanses of blanket bog.


hname:
Hiberno-Britannic upland blanket bog sphagnum mats

description:
[Sphagnum papillosum], [Sphagnum magellanicum], [Sphagnum rubellum], [Sphagnum imbricatum], [Sphagnum fuscum] carpets and hummocks of the cottonsedge-ling blanket bogs, most characteristic of the moorlands of the Scottish Borders.


hname:
Hiberno-Britannic dwarf shrub-cotton-grass upland bogs

description:
Dwarf shrub-rich facies of Hiberno-Britannic upland cottongrass-ling blanket bogs, most characteristic of the eastern Scottish Highlands, with an abundance of [Empetrum hermaphroditum], [Empetrum nigrum], [Betula nana], [Vaccinium uliginosum], [Vaccinium myrtillus], [Arctostaphylos uva-ursi], [Arctostaphylos alpinus] and [Sphagnum fuscum], with particularly close affinities to the boreoalpine hummocks of unit D1.114.


hname:
Hiberno-Britannic woolly fringe moss upland bog hummocks

description:
Lawn and hummock communities of Hiberno-Britannic upland blanket bogs dominated by [Racomitrium lanuginosum], mostly characteristic of eroded or dried surfaces.


hname:
Hiberno-Britannic upland blanket bog wet heaths

description:
[Erica tetralix] or, at lower altitudes, [Scirpus cespitosus]-[Erica tetralix] wet heaths of Hiberno-Britannic upland blanket bog slopes or tops of slopes, developed on shallower peats, in better drained situations, in more minerotrophic conditions than the communities of unit D1.221. [Eriophorum vaginatum] is less prominent in the sward, and sphagna sparser in the ground cover, while shrubs, [Juncus squarrosus] and [Nardus stricta] are more vigorous or commoner.


hname:
Hiberno-Britannic upland blanket bog hollows and pools

description:
Wet depressions and seeps of Hiberno-Britannic upland blanket bogs colonized by hollow communities similar to those of raised bog hollows of unit D1.1121 or by other communities of the [Scheuchzerietalia palustris] (units D2.3, D3.H), communities of the [Caricetalia fuscae] (unit D2.2), of the [Utricularietalia intermedio-minoris] (units C1.15, C1.26, C1.45), of the [Littorelletalia] (unit C3.41) or of the [Potamogetonetalia] (units C1.13, C1.24, C1.34, C1.43). Pools and hollows are less prominent in these blanket bogs than in the western blanket bogs of unit D1.21.


description:
Blanket bogs of oceanic southern boreal affinities distributed in maritime western Norway from Rogaland, in the south, north to the Arctic Circle, and in the Faeroe Islands, characterised by the dominance of [Calluna]-[Racomitrium] and [Calluna]-[Sphagnum rubellum] communities. Additionally, blanket bogs of oceanic northern boreal affinities distributed in maritime western Norway, from southern Nordland to central Troms, characterised by the dominance of [Calluna]-[Empetrum]-[Sphagnum fuscum] communities.


hname:
Southern boreo-Atlantic cottonsedge - ling bogs

description:
Main bog-surface and hummock communities of southern boreal blanket bogs dominated by [Calluna vulgaris], [Eriophorum vaginatum] and [Sphagnum rubellum], with [Erica tetralix], [Rubus chamaemorus], [Andromeda polifolia], [Vaccinium oxycoccos], [Drosera rotundifolia], [Sphagnum magellanicum].


hname:
Southern boreo-Atlantic ling - woolly fringe moss bogs

description:
Bog-surface and hummock communities characteristic of the southernmost southern boreal blanket bogs, in nemoral extreme southern Norway, oceanic southern boreal extreme western Norway, north to southern Tr”ndelag, and in the Faeroe Islands, dominated by [Calluna vulgaris], [Empetrum nigrum], [Racomitrium lanuginosum], with [Cornus suecica], [Rubus chamaemorus], [Vaccinium uliginosum], [Deschampsia flexuosa], [Dicranum elongatum], [Grimmia hypnoides], [Cladonia sylvatica].


hname:
Southern boreo-Atlantic blanket bog hollow communities

description:
Vegetation of bog hollows on southern boreal blanket bogs formed by [Sphagnum cuspidatum] and [Sphagnum tenellum], with [Rhynchospora alba], [Scheuchzeria palustris], [Drosera anglica], [Vaccinium oxycoccos], [Andromeda polifolia], [Carex limosa], [Eriophorum vaginatum].


description:
Lowland and montane mesotrophic pastures and hay meadows of the steppe zone of eastern Europe and Anatolia.


hname:
Agriculturally-improved, re-seeded and heavily fertilised grassland, including sports fields and grass lawns

description:
Land occupied by heavily fertilised or reseeded permanent grasslands, sometimes treated by selective herbicides, with very impoverished flora and fauna, used for grazing, soil protection and stabilization, landscaping or recreation.


hname:
Dry or moist agriculturally-improved grassland

description:
Dry or mesophile intensive pastures and grasslands. Usually intensively fertilised and reseeded, or established entirely artificially.


hname:
Wet agriculturally-improved grassland, often with drainage ditches

description:
Humid intensive pastures, often scored with drainage ditches, and capable of harbouring breeding waders or wintering waterfowl, in particular, geese.


description:
Grasslands, usually mowed, composed of native or sometimes exotic grasses, constituting elements of urban parks.


description:
Mesic grassland that is not currently mown or used for pasture, excluding abandoned pastures (E2.13).


hname:
Trampled mesophilous grasslands with annuals

description:
Low annuals on mesophilous trampled localities, for example the community [Saginion procumbentis] with [Sagina procumbens], [Sagina apetala], [Spergularia rubra], [Juncus bufonius], [Poa supina], [Veronica serpyllifolia]; in sub-mountain and mountain locations the vegetation may consist of [Alchemillo-Poion supinae].


description:
Unimproved or lightly improved wet meadows and tall herb communities of the boreal, nemoral, warm-temperate humid, steppic and mediterranean zones.


description:
Mediterranean humid grasslands of tall grasses and rushes with [Scirpus holoschoenus] ([Holoschoenus vulgaris]), [Agrostis stolonifera], [Agrostis reuteri], [Calamagrostis epigejos], [Galium debile], [Molinia caerulea], [Briza minor], [Melica cupanii], [Cyperus longus], [Linum tenue], [Trifolium resupinatum], [Schoenus nigricans], [Peucedanum hispanicum], [Carex mairii], [Juncus maritimus], [Juncus acutus], [Asteriscus aquaticus], [Hypericum tomentosum], [Hypericum tetrapterum], [Inula viscosa], [Oenanthe pimpinelloides], [Oenanthe lachenalii], [Eupatorium cannabinum], [Prunella vulgaris], [Pulicaria dysenterica], [Tetragonolobus maritimus], [Orchis laxiflora], [Dactylorhiza elata], [Succisa pratensis], [Sonchus maritimus ssp. aquatilis], [Silaum silaus], [Sanguisorba officinalis], [Serratula tinctoria], [Genista tinctoria], [Cirsium monspessulanum], [Cirsium pyrenaicum], [Senecio doria], [Dorycnium rectum], [Erica terminalis], [Euphorbia pubescens], [Lysimachia ephemerum], widespread in the entire Mediterranean basin, extending, along the coasts of the Black Sea, in particular in dune systems, north to the Dobrogea and the Danube Delta, and, in valleys of the Balkan peninsula, north to the Banat.


hname:
Mediterranean tall humid grassland of lowlands

description:
These meadows can be eutrophic and have hygro-nitrophilous vegetation dominated by [Lolium multiflorum] and [Rumex conglomeratus].


description:
Meso-hygrophile grasslands of crystalline Provence, with [Carex divisa ssp. chaetophylla], often dominant, [Briza minor], [Oenanthe lachenalii] and numerous [Serapias] species ([Serapias lingua], [Serapias neglecta], [Serapias vomeracea]).


hname:
Mediterranean tall humid grassland of mountains


description:
[Calamagrostis epipejeos] tall (c. 1m) meadows developing at an altitude of  around 1650 m on seasonally inundated depressions, on serpentinised substrate with basic pH. The meadows are inundated from October-November until June-July, depending on the rainfall but even in summer the soil is wet and muddy. The vegetation cover is thick and the dominant graminoids [C. epipejeos] and [Juncus littoralis] and other herbs form a continuous mat on the soil. The floristic structure is characterised by species which occur only or mainly at this habitat in Cyprus, such as [C. epipejeos] and [Poa pratensis], and by a few endemic species occuring only at the high altitude damp places in the  Troodos mountains.

title:
Interpretation Manual of European Union Habitats


description:
Very short grasslands of impermeable compact soils or marls, wet for a large part of the year, and desiccated in summer, characteristic of the Mediterranean basin, with irradiations north to the Illyrian zone of the northwestern Balkan peninsula, with [Deschampsia media], [Centaurium pulchellum], [Lotus tenuis], [Trifolium lappaceum], [Prunella hyssopifolia], [Plantago maritima ssp. serpentina], [Centaurea timbali].


description:
Humid meadows rich in clover ([Trifolium] spp.) of sub- and supramediterranean regions remote from Atlantic influence, in particular, of the Balkan peninsula, of the Apennines and of Mediterranean Anatolia, mostly developed above the lowlands but below the montane level.


hname:
Helleno-Moesian riverine and humid clover meadows

description:
Meso-hygrophile grasslands of river flood plains and other high water-table sites of the southern Balkan peninsula, in particular of Bulgaria, the F.Y.R. of Macedonia and northern Greece, with outposts in the Croatian coastlands, formed by [Alopecurus pratensis], [Alopecurus rendlei] ([Alopecurus utriculatus]), [Festuca pratensis] ([Festuca elatior]) or [Poa trivialis ssp. sylvicola] ([Poa sylvicola]), and by numerous [Trifolium] spp., [Medicago hispida ssp. apiculata], [Lotus corniculatus var. hirsutus], [Hordeum murinum], [Ranunculus marginatus], [Ranunculus velutinus], [Cirsium canum var. macedonicum], [Oenanthe stenoloba], [Moenchia mantica], [Lychnis flos-cuculi ssp. subintegra], [Teucrium scordioides], [Podospermum canum], [Narcissus poeticus], [Leucojum aestivum].


description:
Permanent humid grasslands of Apennine karstic basins, with [Ranunculus velutinus], [Bromus racemosus], [Hordeum secalinum], [Trifolium dubium], [Trifolium resupinatum], [Trifolium micranthum], [Trifolium patens], [Trifolium fragiferum], [Trifolium pratense], [Trifolium repens], [Carex distans], [Deschampsia cespitosa], [Gaudinia fragilis], [Ophioglossum vulgatum], [Centaurea jacea], [Holcus lanatus], [Alopecurus rendlei] ([Alopecurus utriculatus]), [Orchis laxiflora], [Colchicum lusitanum].


description:
Humid meadows of Illyrian Istria and Dalmatia, developed in a mild semihumid to semiarid climate, of pronounced sub-Mediterranean affinities.


hname:
Illyrio-Moesian riverine and humid clover meadows

description:
Floodplain meadows of southern sub-Pannonic regions, within the eastern [Carpinion illyricum], the [Quercion frainetto] and the [Fagion moesiacum] zones of Bosnia, Serbia, Oltenia and northwestern Bulgaria, under semihumid to semiarid climates, mostly dominated by [Deschampsia cespitosa], [Alopecurus pratensis] or [Poa trivialis ssp. sylvicola], with [Trifolium pallidum], [Trifolium patens], [Trifolium fragiferum], [Trifolium cinctum], [Ranunculus stevenii], [Lathyrus nissolia], [Medicago arabica], [Clematis integrifolia].


hname:
Highly artificial broadleaved deciduous forestry plantations

description:
Cultivated deciduous broad-leaved tree formations planted for the production of wood, composed of exotic species, of native species out of their natural range, or of native species planted in clearly unnatural stands, often as monocultures.


description:
Plantations of species, hybrids or cultivars of the deciduous genus [Populus], in particular, [Populus nigra], [Populus nigra var. italica], [Populus deltoides], [Populus x canadensis], [Populus balsamifera], [Populus trichocarpa], [Populus candicans].


hname:
Poplar plantations with megaphorb herb layer

description:
Old poplar plantations with a tall herb-rich undergrowth, substitution habitat for some riparian forest species of plants and animals.


description:
Poplar plantations devoid of tall herb-rich undergrowth.


description:
Cultivated formations of deciduous trees of genus [Quercus] (e.g. [Quercus rubra]) planted most often for the production of wood, composed of exotic species or of Palaeartic species out of their natural range


description:
Plantations and spontaneous formations of [Robinia pseudacacia]. Vegetation of alliances [Chelidonio-Robinion] and [Balloto nigrae-Robinion].


description:
Cultivated deciduous broad-leaved formations of trees of genera other than [Populus], [Quercus] and [Robinia], planted for the production of wood, composed of exotic species, of native species out of their natural range, or of native species planted in artificial conditions with a considerably modified accompanying cortège.


hname:
Unvegetated glacial moraines in the process of formation


hname:
Miscellaneous inland habitats with very sparse or no vegetation

description:
Miscellaneous bare habitats, including glacial moraines, freeze-thaw features, inland sand dunes, burnt ground and trampled areas. Vegetation, if present, is dominated by algae, lichens or bryophytes, with vascular plants absent or very sparse.


hname:
Fjell fields and other freeze-thaw features with very sparse or no vegetation

description:
Bare or very sparsely vegetated terrain in which freeze-thaw cycles result in patterned ground with much rock debris. Excludes moss- and lichen-dominated fjell-field (E4.2).


hname:
Fjell fields with very sparse or no vegetation


hname:
Glacial moraines with very sparse or no vegetation

description:
Glacial moraines that have lost their ice and which have not yet revegetated. Excludes moraines where ice is still dominant (H4.3).


hname:
Sparsely- or un-vegetated habitats on mineral substrates not resulting from recent ice activity

description:
Accumulations of sand, boulders, stones, rock fragments, pebbles or gravels, unvegetated, occupied by lichens or mosses, or colonized by sparse herbs or shrubs. Included are inland dunes, moraines and drumlins originating from glacial deposition, sandar, eskers and kames resulting from fluvio-glacial deposition, block slopes, block streams and block fields constructed by periglacial depositional processes of downslope mass movement, ancient beach deposits constituted by former coastal constructional processes. Excludes mobile screes (H2) and deposits originating from eruptive volcanic activity (H6).

title:
EUNIS Habitat Classification Revised 2004


hname:
Clay and silt with very sparse or no vegetation


hname:
Stable sand with very sparse or no vegetation


description:
Unique dunes of the Savoie shore of Lake Geneva (Excenevex).


description:
Lacustrine inland dunes of the northern boreal region, in particular, of Lake Inari in Finland.


hname:
Mediterranean communities of shelf-edge detritic bottoms

description:
These communities are present in detritic bottoms with abundance of dead shells, bryozoans and coral skeletons.


description:
This facies is characterised by the high abundance of the sea urchin [Neolampas rostellata].


description:
This facies is characterised by the high abundance of the crynoid [Leptometra phalangium].


description:
This habitat type includes maerl beds, seaweed dominated mixed sediments (including kelps such as [Laminaria saccharina] and filamentous/foliose red and green algae), seagrass beds, and lagoonal angiosperm communities. These communities develop in a range of habitats from exposed open coasts to lagoons and are found in a variety of sediment types and salinity regimes.


description:
Beds of maerl in coarse clean sediments of gravels and clean sands, which occur either on the open coast or in tide-swept channels of marine inlets (the latter often stony). In fully marine conditions the dominant maerl is typically [Phymatolithon calcareum] (A5.511), whilst under variable salinity conditions in some sealochs beds of [Lithothamnion glaciale] (A5.512) may develop.


hname:
[Phymatolithon calcareum] maerl beds in infralittoral clean gravel or coarse sand

description:
Maerl beds characterised by [Phymatolithon calcareum] in gravels and sands. Associated epiphytes may include red algae such as [Dictyota dichotoma, Halarachnion ligulatum], [Callophyllis laciniata], [Cryptopleura ramosa], [Brongniartella byssoides] and [Plocamium cartilagineum]. Algal species may be anchored to the maerl or to dead bivalve shells amongst the maerl. Polychaetes, such as [Chaetopterus variopedatus], [Lanice conchilega], [Kefersteinia cirrata], [Mediomastus fragilis, Chone duneri, Parametaphoxus fultoni] and [Grania] may be present. Gastropods such as [Gibbula cineraria], [Gibbula magus], [Calyptraea chinensis] [Dikoleps pusilla] and [Onoba aculeus] may also be present. [Liocarcinus depurator] and [Liocarcinus corrugatus] are often present, although they may be under-recorded; it would seem likely that robust infaunal bivalves such as [Circomphalus casina], [Mya truncata], [Dosinia exoleta] and other venerid bivalves are more widespread than available data currently suggests. It seems likely that stable wave-sheltered maerl beds with low currents may be separable from A5.511; having a generally thinner layer of maerl overlying a sandy /muddy substratum with a diverse cover of epiphytes (e.g. Bosence 1976; Blunden [et al]. 1977; 1981; Davies & Hall-Spencer 1996) but insufficient data currently exists on a national scale. Wave and current-exposed maerl beds, where thicker depths of maerl accumulate, frequently occur as waves and ridge / furrows arrangements (see Bosence 1976; Blunden [et al]. 1977; 1981; Irvine & Chamberlain 1994; Hall-Spencer 1995). At some sites where A5.511occurs, there may be significant patches of maerl gravel containing the rare burrowing anemone [Halcampoides elongatus]; this may be a separate biotope, but insufficient data exists at present. Northern maerl beds in the UK do not appear to contain [L. corallioides] but in south-west England and Ireland [L. corallioides] may occur to some extent in A5.511 as well as A5.513, where it dominates.


hname:
[Phymatolithon calcareum] maerl beds with red seaweeds in shallow infralittoral clean gravel or coarse sand

description:
Upper infralittoral maerl beds characterised by [Phymatolithon calcareum] in gravels and sand with a wide variety of associated red seaweeds. These algae typically include [Dictyota dichotoma], [Plocamium cartilagineum], [Phycodrys rubens], [Chondrus crispus], [Halarachnion ligulatum], [Chylocladia verticillata], [Hypoglossum hypoglossoides] and [Nitophyllum punctum]. These species are not restricted to maerl beds but their abundance on maerl beds differentiates this biotope from A5.5112. Anthozoans and echinoderms are much less common in this biotope than in A5.5112, which typically occurs deeper than A5.5111.


hname:
[Phymatolithon calcareum] maerl beds with [Neopentadactyla mixta] and other echinoderms in deeper infralittoral clean gravel or coarse sand

description:
Lower infralittoral maerl beds characterised by [Phymatolithon calcareum] in gravels and sand with a variety of associated echinoderms. The echinoderm [Neopentadactyla mixta] is frequently observed in this biotope. Other echinoderms such as [Echinus esculentus], [Ophiura albida] and rarely [Luidia ciliaris] may also be present. Red seaweed such as [Plocamium cartilagineum] may be present but at a much lower abundance than in A5.5111 and with fewer species present. Other, more ubiquitous echinoderms such as [Asterias rubens] may also be found in low numbers throughout A5.511 subunits.


hname:
[Lithothamnion glaciale] maerl beds in tide-swept variable salinity infralittoral gravel

description:
Upper infralittoral tide-swept channels of coarse sediment in full or variable salinity conditions support distinctive beds of [Lithothamnion glaciale] maerl 'rhodoliths'. [Phymatolithon calcareum] may also be present as a more minor maerl component. Associated fauna and flora may include species found in other types of maerl beds (and elsewhere), e.g. [Pomatoceros triqueter], [Cerianthus lloydii], [Sabella pavonina], [Chaetopterus variopedatus], [Lanice conchilega], [Mya truncata], [Plocamium cartilagineum] and [Phycodrys rubens]. Unit A5.512, however, also has a fauna that reflects the slightly reduced salinity conditions, e.g. [Psammechinus miliaris] is often present in high numbers along with other grazers such as chitons and [Tectura] spp. [Hyas araneus], [Ophiothrix fragilis], [Ophiocomina nigra] and the brown seaweed [Dictyota dichotoma] are also typically present at sites. In Scottish lagoons this biotope may show considerable variation but the community falls within the broad description defined here.
Situation: This biotope can often be found at the upper end of Scottish sealochs where the variable salinity of the habitat may not be immediately obvious.


hname:
[Lithothamnion corallioides] maerl beds on infralittoral muddy gravel

description:
Live maerl beds in sheltered, silty conditions which are dominated by [Lithothamnion corallioides] with a variety of foliose and filamentous seaweeds. Live maerl is at least common but there may be noticeable amounts of dead maerl gravel and pebbles. Other species of maerl, such as [Phymatolithon calcareum] and [Phymatolithon purpureum], may also occur as a less abundant component. Species of seaweed such as [Dictyota dichotoma], [Halarachnion ligulatum]. and [Ulva] spp. are often present, although are not restricted to this biotope, whereas [Dudresnaya verticillata] tends not to occur on other types of maerl beds. The anemones [Anemonia viridis] and [Cerianthus lloydii], the polychaetes [Notomastus latericeus] and [Caulleriella alata], the isopod [Janira maculosa] and the bivalve [Hiatella arctica] are typically found in A5.513 where as [Echinus esculentus] tends to occur more in other types of maerl. The seaweeds [Laminaria saccharina] and [Chorda filum] may also be present in some habitats. A5.513 has a south-western distribution in Britain and Ireland. Sheltered, stable, fully saline maerl beds in the north of Great Britain (where [L. corallioides] has not been confirmed to occur) may need to be described as an analogous biotope to A5.513 (see A5.511).


hname:
[Lithophyllum fasciculatum] maerl beds on infralittoral mud

description:
Shallow, sheltered infralittoral muddy plains with [Lithophyllum fasciculatum] maerl. This rarely recorded maerl species forms flattened masses or balls several centimetres in diameter (Irvine & Chamberlain 1994). Unit A5.514 may be found on mud and muddy gravel mixed with shell. Species of anemone typical of sheltered conditions may be found in association, for example, [Anthopleura ballii], [Cereus pedunculatus] and [Sagartiogeton undatus]. Polychaetes such as [Myxicola infundibulum] and terebellids, also characteristic of sheltered conditions, may be present as may hydroids such as [Kirchenpaueria pinnata]. Occasional [Chlamys varia] and [Thyone fuscus] are present in all records of this biotope and red seaweeds such as [Plocamium cartilagineum], [Calliblepharis jubata] and [Chylocladia verticillata] are often present.


hname:
Association with rhodolithes in coarse sands and fine gravels under the influence of bottom currents

description:
This facies is characterised by the presence of small calcareous algae species exposed to strong bottom currents.


hname:
Association with rhodolithes on coastal detritic bottoms

description:
This association characterised by "balls" of calcareous encrusting algae occurs on coastal detritic bottoms.


hname:
Kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment

description:
Shallow sublittoral sediments which support seaweed communities, typically including the kelp [Laminaria saccharina], the bootlace weed [Chorda filum] and various red and brown seaweeds, particularly filamentous types. The generally sheltered nature of these habitats enables the seaweeds to grow on shells and small stones which lie on the sediment surface; some communities develop as loose-lying mats on the sediment surface.


hname:
[Laminaria saccharina] and red seaweeds on infralittoral sediments

description:
On infralittoral mixed muddy substrata communities characterised by the kelp [Laminaria saccharina] and mixed filamentous and foliose red algae can be found. This biotope contains a number of sub-biotopes distinguished by the degree of either wave or tidal exposure. In moderately strong tidal streams in exposed areas [Laminaria] is sparse and dense stands of red seaweeds are found attached to the boulders and cobbles that make up a large proportion of the sediment (A5.5211). As the degree of wave and/or tidal exposure decreases there is a change in community structure, with the density of [Laminaria] and the diversity of red algal species increasing (A5.5212). As the environment becomes more stable a number of brown algal species are able to inhabit this environment and a rich infauna develops (A5.5213). In the most sheltered examples of this biotope a diverse muddy sediment infauna can be found and the ['Trailliella'] phase of [Bonnemaisonia hamifera] may develop (A5.5214).


hname:
Red seaweeds and kelps on tide-swept mobile infralittoral cobbles and pebbles

description:
Shallow mixed substrata of cobbles and pebbles swept by moderately strong tidal streams in exposed areas, and characterised by dense stands of red seaweeds. Tide-swept infralittoral cobbles and pebbles which may be highly mobile, create an environment that is difficult for many algae to survive in. Foliose and filamentous seaweeds with an encrusting phase in their life history, or those that are able to withstand rolling of the substratum and scouring, can form dense turfs of seaweed in the more settled summer months. Characteristic red seaweeds include [Halarachnion ligulatum] which is able to survive attached to the pebbles and cobbles. Ephemeral algae grow rapidly in periods of relative stability. Other characteristic red seaweeds include [Plocamium cartilagineum], [Hypoglossum hypoglossoides], [Bonnemaisonia asparagoides] and [Brongniartella byssoides]. Coralline encrusting algae cover many of the cobbles and pebbles; some areas of cobbles may be quite barren, dominated only by encrusting coralline algae and brittlestars. Of the brown seaweeds scattered [Laminaria] spp. and [Desmarestia] spp. may be present on more stable large boulders or bedrock outcrops. [Chorda filum] and [Halidrys siliquosa] may be present in low abundance but where these seaweeds occur in greater abundance (typically >Frequent) refer to A3.123 and A3.126 respectively. Although the faunal component of this biotope is usually relatively sparse it can include a wide variety of species. Turfs of hydroids ([Nemertesia] spp., [Aglaophenia tubulifera]) and bryozoans ([Crisia] spp. and [Bugula] spp.) are the major components but sponges and anemones may also occur. Brittlestars, sea-urchins, hydroids and solitary ascidians are more prominent in the Scottish examples of this biotope, which tend to occur in deeper water, due in part to clearer waters.
Situation: Although not common, this biotope is widely distributed from Sussex to the shallow areas of the Sarns in Cardigan Bay, the west coast of Scotland and the north-east coast of Ireland. Despite the wide distribution, the red seaweed composition remains remarkably constant. In areas such as the Sarns, in Wales, where mixed substrata continue into the shallows, dense swathes of A3.123 can be found. More stable but highly scoured areas adjacent to A5.5211 can support the [Halidrys] biotope A3.126. Where bedrock or large boulders occur above the mixed substrata of A5.5211 it may support a kelp forest or park (A3.115 or A3.214). At many sites the mixed substrata supporting the dense seaweed turf gives way to sediment of varying composition.
Temporal variation: This biotope will take on a much more depauperate appearance during the winter months, once the ephemeral seaweeds have died back in late summer/autumn. Storms can mobilise the loose pebbles and cobbles, removing all but the most resilient of seaweeds and animals. By summer, under more stable conditions, new growth will flourish and dense stands of seaweeds dominate the seabed.


hname:
[Laminaria saccharina] and robust red algae on infralittoral gravel and pebble

description:
Shallow kelp community found on gravel and gravelly sand in slightly less exposed areas than A5.5211 but in moderately strong tidal currents, and characterised by occasional [Laminaria saccharina] with an undergrowth of robust red seaweeds. Characteristic red seaweeds, as with A5.5211, include [Plocamium cartilagineum], [Halarachnion ligulatum] and [Brongniartella byssoides]; however the greater stability of this biotope allows a slightly more diverse range of red seaweeds to become established including [Polyides rotundus], [Rhodophyllis divaricata], [Delesseria sanguinea] and [Nitophyllum punctatum]. Coralline encrusting algae may be found covering the larger pebbles. [Laminaria hyperborea] may also be present within this biotope, although at low densities. Other brown algal species present include [Desmarestia] spp., [Dictyota dichotoma] and [Chorda filum], all at low abundance. The ubiquitous green seaweed [Ulva] sp. may be found attached to larger pebbles.


hname:
[Laminaria saccharina] and filamentous red algae on infralittoral sand

description:
Shallow kelp community found on sand and slightly gravelly sand, in moderately exposed and sheltered conditions, with weak tidal currents. The community is characterised by occasional [Laminaria saccharina] with an undergrowth of red algae. Characteristic red seaweeds, as with A5.5212, include [Plocamium cartilagineum], [Polyides rotundus], [Polysiphonia elongate] and [Lomentaria clavellosa]. Coralline encrusting algae is much less important in this biotope as a result of a lack of suitable substrate. Brown algal species present, as with other subunits of A5.521, include [Desmarestia] spp., [Dictyota dichotoma] and [Chorda filum], all at low abundance. The ubiquitous green seaweed [Ulva] sp. may also be present. The sandy substrate is home to a variety of typical sand dwelling infauna including polychaetes ([Scoloplos armiger], [Exogone hebes], and [Aricidea minuta]), amphipods ([Ampelisca brevicornis]), and bivalves ([Lucinoma borealis] and [Abra alba]). [Arenicola] worm casts and [Lanice] worm tubes may be visible at the sediment surface.


hname:
[Laminaria saccharina] with red and brown seaweeds on lower infralittoral muddy mixed sediment

description:
Slightly deeper kelp community in the lower infralittoral, found on sandy gravelly mud, in sheltered and very sheltered conditions, with very weak tidal currents. The community is characterised by occasional [Laminaria saccharina] with an undergrowth of red and brown algae. Characteristic red seaweeds, as with other A5.521 subunits include [Plocamium cartilagineum] and [Phycodrys rubens]. However, the sheltered conditions of this biotope allow the '[Trailliella]' phase of [Bonnemaisonia hamifera] to develop (although not to the extent of forming distinct mats as in A5.526), and the related species [Bonnemaisonia asparagoides]. Brown algal species present, as with other A5.521 subunits, include [Desmarestia] spp at low abundance. The ubiquitous green seaweed [Ulva] sp. may also be present. The muddy substrate is home to a variety of typical mud dwelling fauna including the burrowing anemone [Cerianthus lloydii]. The gravelly component of this biotope provides a substrate for encrusting species such as the polychaete [Pomatoceros triqueter] and coralline encrusting algae.


hname:
[Laminaria saccharina] and [Chorda filum] on sheltered upper infralittoral muddy sediment

description:
Shallow kelp community found on sandy mud and gravelly sandy mud, in sheltered or extremely sheltered conditions, with very weak tidal currents. The community is characterised by a reasonable covering of [Laminaria saccharina] and [Chorda filum]. Beneath the kelp canopy, [Ulva lactuca] is often frequent and some filamentous and foliose red algae may be present, along with filamentous brown ectocarpoid algae although in much lower abundance than in the A5.521 subunits. At the sediment surface ubiquitous fauna such as [Asterias rubens], crabs such as [Pagurus bernhardus], [Carcinus maenas], and the gastropod [Gibbula cineraria] may be visable and in some areas [Sabella pavonina] may be present. Given the nature of the sediment it is likely that a wide range of infaunal bivalves and polychaetes are present including [Arenicola marina], [Mediomastus fragilis] and [Anaitides mucosa]. In more tideswept areas with coarser and generally less muddy sediments A5.522 may be replaced by one of the sub units of A5.521.


hname:
[Laminaria saccharina] with [Psammechinus miliaris] and/or [Modiolus modiolus] on variable salinity infralittoral sediment

description:
Shallow kelp community found on stoney mixed sediment, in full or variable salinity, in sheltered or moderately exposed conditions, with weak or very weak tidal currents. The community is characterised by a dense covering of [Laminaria saccharina]. Beneath the kelp canopy, frequent [Psammechinus miliaris] may be found grazing the algal turf and scattered [Modiolus modiolus] are characteristic of this biotope. Encrusting the suface of stones and pebbles are [Pomatoceros triqueter] and in the sediment between the stones, the burrowing anemone [Cerianthus lloydii] may also be present. Small patches of [Lithothamnion glaciale] may be found in this biotope, although these patches do not form distinct beds as in A5.512. In addition, a more ubiquitous fauna such as [Asterias rubens] and [Pagurus bernhardus] are also present. This biotope is generally found in sealochs.


hname:
[Laminaria saccharina], [Gracilaria gracilis] and brown seaweeds on full salinity infralittoral sediment

description:
Shallow kelp community found on muddy sand, in moderately exposed or sheltered, fully marine conditions, with weak tidal currents. The community is characterised by a reasonable covering of [Laminaria saccharina]. Frequent [Chorda filum] may also form part of the canopy although not at the abundance in A5.522. Beneath the canopy the community is characterised by the red algae [Gracilaria gracilis], and various brown algal species particularly [Dictyota dichotoma]. Other members of the understory may include a variety of other filamentous and foliose red algae in particular [Ceramium nodulosum] and the green alga [Ulva]. The muddy sand substrate supports a variety of faunal species including polychaetes ([Lanice conchilega]) and gastropods ([Hinia reticulata]).


hname:
[Laminaria saccharina] and [Gracilaria gracilis] with sponges and ascidians on variable salinity infralittoral sediment

description:
Shallow kelp community found on stony sediment, in extremely sheltered, variable salinity conditions, with moderately strong tidal currents. The community is characterised by a more sparse covering of [Laminaria saccharina], particularly when compared to the fully marine version of this sub biotope (A5.524). Beneath the canopy the community is characterised by the red algae [Gracilaria gracilis], and a variety of faunal species in particular sponges ([Suberites ficus] and [Halichondria panacea]) and ascidians ([Ascidiella aspersa] and [Dendrodoa grossularia]). The stony substrate provides a surface for attachment for these and many other filter and suspension feeding species, particularly barnacles ([Balanus crenatus]), hydroids ([Urticina feline] and [Hydractinia echinata]) and anemones. Other members of the understory may include a variety of filamentous and foliose red algae in particular [Pterothamnion plumula], and the green alga [Ulva].


hname:
Mats of [Trailliella] on infralittoral muddy gravel

description:
Dense loose-lying beds of the '[Trailliella]' phase of [Bonnemaisonia hamifera] may occur in extremely sheltered shallow muddy environments. Beds of this alga are often 10 cm thick but may reach 100 cm at some sites. Other loose-lying algae may also occur such as [Audouinella floridula, Phyllophora crispa] and species of [Derbesia]. Often the mud is gravelly or with some cobbles and may be black and anoxic close to the sediment surface. This biotope is widely distributed in lagoons, sealochs and voes but should only be described as A5.526 when a continuous mat is found. It is likely that the infaunal component of this biotope may be considerably modified by the overwhelming quantity of loose-lying algae.


hname:
Loose-lying mats of [Phyllophora crispa] on infralittoral muddy sediment

description:
Infralittoral muddy sand and sandy mud, sometimes with some shells or pebbles, and a dense, loose-lying cover of [Phyllophora crispa]. This biotope occurs in very sheltered conditions such as those found in sealochs and voes. A5.527 is similar to other biotopes described with dense, loose-lying algae but has been less frequently recorded, and from the few records available, appears to occur in slightly deeper infralittoral waters primarily between 10m to 30m and typically in fully saline waters. The seaweeds in this biotope may be epiphytised by ascidians such as [Ascidiella aspera]. Kelp such as [Laminaria saccharina] and red seaweeds including [Plocamium cartilagineum] may be present in some areas. The scallops [Pecten maximus] and [Aequipecten opercularis] may also be found occasionally in this biotope and [Trailliella]/[Bonnemaisonia hamifera] may also be present but not at the levels found in A5.526.


hname:
Filamentous green seaweeds on low salinity infralittoral mixed sediment or rock

description:
Shallow muddy sediments, often with boulders, cobbles and pebbles around the edges of lagoons, or other areas that are exposed to wide salinity variations are unsuitable for colonisation by many species. Such areas may be colonised by a dense blanket of ephemeral green algae such as [Enteromorpha] spp., [Chaetomorpha linum], [Cladophora liniformis] or [Rhizoclonium riparium]. This biotope may also contain some red seaweeds, such as [Furcellaria lumbricalis], but always at low abundance (compare with A3.343). Amongst the filamentous green algae, grazing molluscs and solitary ascidians may be present. Infauna may typically include [Corophium volutator], [Heterochaeta costata], [Tubificoides benedeni] and other taxa suited for low/variable salinity environments.


description:
The characteristic species of this association is the Annelid [Ficopomatus enigmaticus].


description:
This association is characterised by the red algae belonging to the genus [Gracilaria].


hname:
Association with [Chaetomorpha linum] and [Valonia aegagropila]

description:
This association is characterised by the green algae [Chaetomorpha linum] and [Valonia aegagropila].


description:
This association is characterised by the red alga [Halopitys incurvus].


hname:
Association with [Ulva laetevirens] and [Enteromorpha linza]

description:
This association is characterised by the green algae [Ulva laetevirens] and [Enteromorpha linza].


description:
This association is characterised by the brown alga [Cystoseira barbata].


description:
This association is characterised by the foxtail stonewort (charophyte) [Lamprothamnium papulosum]. [Lamprothamnium papulosum] is a rare, brackish water stonewort growing to a height of up to 40 cm with regular whorls of slender cylindrical branches each with several spine-like bracts which give the plant a furry appearance. The foxtail stonewort has a sporadic distribution around the coast of Europe from Norway to the Iberian Peninsula. In the Mediterranean it extends eastwards to Tunisia and Sicily with isolated records from Cyprus and the Black Sea.


hname:
Association with [Cladophora echinus] and [Rytiphloea tinctoria]

description:
The characteristic species of this association are the green alga [Cladophora echinus] and the red alga [Rytiphloea tinctoria].


description:
This association on coastal detritic bottoms is characterised by the abundance of the red alga [Peyssonnelia rosa-marina].


description:
This association on coastal detritic bottoms is characterised by the abundance of the brown alga [Arthrocladia villosa].


description:
This association on coastal detritic bottoms is characterised by the abundance of the brown alga [Osmundaria volubilis].


description:
This association on coastal detritic bottoms is characterised by the abundance of the red alga [Kallymenia patens].


description:
This association on coastal detritic bottoms is characterised by the abundance of the brown alga [Laminaria rodriguezii].


hname:
Pontic [Phyllophora nervosa] biocenosis on shell gravel

description:
The dominant species is the alga [Phyllophora nervosa].  In addition to the dominant species there are three other species of Phyllophora: [Phyllophora brodiaei], [Phyllophora pseudoceranoides], [Phyllophora trallii].  There are 118 species of invertebrates in the Phyllophora field the most characteristic of which are: [Bittium reticulatum], [Harmothoe imbricata], [Balanus improvisus], [Synisoma capito] (Zaitsev and Alexandrov 1998).  Studies conducted in the NW shelf area (Zernov's Phyllophora field) indicated tht the mass macrozoobenthos  species  are: the bivalve mollusc [Mytilus galloprovincialis], [Mytilaster lineatus], the gastropod [Rissoa parva], the barnacle [Balanus improvisus] and the polychaete [Nereis succinea].  In Egorlitsky Bay the mass species are [Mytilaster lineatus], [Nereis zonata] and [Platynereis dumerilii].  Studies conducted along the Romanian coast (Vailiu and Bodeanu, 1972) indicate that [Phyllophora nervosa] and [Phyllophora brodiae] are present between 10-56 m with highest biomass recorded in the northernmost part of the Romanian coasts, at 43-46 m depth where the presence of [Phyllophora brodiae] is favoured by the presence of a particular substrate given by the massive development of calcareous algal concretions of the red alga [Lithothamnion] present on bivalve shells (Vasiliu and Bodeanu, 1972).  In Romanian waters, in the area known as Zernov's Phyllophora field, the fauna is composed mostly of [Mytilus galloprovincialis] up to 20-30 meters depth, and [Modiolus phaseolinus] at depths exceeding 30 meters (Tiganus, 1991-1992).


hname:
Pontic degraded facies of the [Phyllophora] biocenosis

description:
This facies represents a degraded form of the [Phyllophora nervosa] biocenosis in which [Phyllophora nervosa] is substituted by [Phyllophora brodiaei] and [Mytilus galloprovincialis] is dominant.


description:
Beds of submerged marine angiosperms in the genera [Cymodocea], [Halophila], [Posidonia], [Ruppia], [Thalassia], [Zostera].


description:
Formations of [Cymodocea nodosa] of the Atlantic shores of southern Iberia, northwestern Africa and the Macaronesian Islands.


description:
Formations of [Cymodocea nodosa] or [Cymodocea] and [Caulerpa] spp., in particular [Caulerpa prolifera], occupying large surfaces, on sandy substrates at depths of 1-15 metres, around the Macaronesian Islands.


description:
Formations of [Cymodocea nodosa] of the southernmost Atlantic coasts of the Iberian peninsula.


description:
[Cymodocea nodosa] formations of the Mediterranean, permanently submerged in waters down to 10 metres deep, often in sheltered areas behind [Posidonia] reefs, monospecific or associated with either the alga [Caulerpa prolifera] or the phanerogam [Halophila stipulacea].


hname:
Association with [Cymodocea nodosa] on well sorted fine sands

description:
This association, characterised by the seagrass [Cymodocea nodosa], lives on soft bottoms formed by well sorted fine sands and can constitute a local facies with epiflora.


hname:
Association with [Cymodocea nodosa] on superficial muddy sands in sheltered waters

description:
This association is characterised by the seagrass [Cymodocea nodosa] and is present when the water is actively renewed and there is no trace of desalination.


description:
Deep water colonies of [Halophila] spp. or [Thalassia] spp. of the Mediterranean and the Macaronesian Atlantic.


description:
[Halophila decipiens] colonies of Tenerife, at depths between 10 and 14 metres.


description:
The facies characterised by the seagrass [Halophila stipulacea] lives on soft bottoms with fine sands that are fairly enriched by fine particles. Colonies of [Halophila stipulacea] have invaded the Mediterranean as a result of the opening of the Suez Canal; they have been reported from continental Greece, the Cyclades, Crete, Rhodes, Samos, the Maltese Islands.


hname:
[Zostera] beds in infralittoral sediments

description:
Beds of seagrass ([Zostera marina] or [Ruppia] spp.) in shallow sublittoral sediments. These communities are generally found in extremely sheltered embayments, marine inlets, estuaries and lagoons, with very weak tidal currents. They may inhabit low, variable and full salinity marine habitats. Whilst generally found on muds and muddy sands they may also occur in coarser sediments, particularly marine examples of [Zostera] communities.


hname:
[Zostera marina]/[angustifolia] beds on lower shore or infralittoral clean or muddy sand

description:
Expanses of clean or muddy fine sand and sandy mud in shallow water and on the lower shore (typically to about 5 m depth) can have dense stands of [Zostera marina/angustifolia] [Note: the taxonomic status of [Z. angustifolia] is currently under consideration]. In A5.5331 the community composition may be dominated by these [Zostera] species and therefore characterised by the associated biota. Other biota present can be closely related to that of areas of sediment not containing [Zostera marina], for example, [Laminaria saccharina], [Chorda filum] and infaunal species such as [Ensis] spp. and [Echinocardium cordatum] (e.g. Bamber 1993). From the available data it would appear that a number of sub-biotopes may be found within this biotope dependant on the nature of the substratum and it should be noted that sparse beds of [Zostera marina] may be more readily characterised by their infaunal community. For example, coarse marine sands with seagrass have associated communities similar to A5.133, A5.137 or A5.135 whilst muddy sands may have infaunal populations related to A5.241, A5.243 and A5.242. Muddy examples of this biotope may show similarities to A5.332, A5.343, A5.342 or A5.351. At present the data does not permit a detailed description of these sub-biotopes but it is likely that with further study the relationships between these assemblages will be clarified. Furthermore, whilst the [Zostera] biotope may be considered an epibiotic overlay of established sedimentary communities it is likely that the presence of [Zostera] will modify the underlying community to some extent. For example, beds of this biotope in the south-west of Britain may contain conspicuous and distinctive assemblages of Lusitanian fauna such as [Laomedea angulata], [Hippocampus] spp. and Stauromedusae. In addition, it is known that seagrass beds play an important role in the trophic status of marine and estuarine waters, acting as an important conduit or sink for nutrients and consequently some examples of [Zostera marina] beds have markedly anoxic sediments associated with them.


hname:
Mediterranean and Pontic [Zostera noltii] beds

description:
Sparse meadows formed on muddy sands of the upper part of the infralittoral zone of Mediterranean coasts. This association is found in euryhaline and eurythermal waters and is characterised by the dwarf eel-grass [Zostera noltii] and the alga [Giraudya sphacelarioides].


hname:
Association with [Zostera noltii] in euryhaline and eurythermal environment

description:
The association with [Zostera noltii] develops in lagoons that are subject to wide ranges of salinity, on varied loose substrata, from sand to mud, either at the entrances to the lagoons (graus) or even within the lagoons, where it develops monospecific phanerogam populations. It withstands a certain amount of hydrodynamics but is very sensitive to eutrophication, turbidity and pollution of the water. Given its wide potential, it constitutes the epiflora of various habitats. In the case of this association of the euryhaline and eurythermal lagoon biocenosis, the fauna is rich and is made up of brackish water species of the biocenosis to which it belongs with some addition of marine water species.


hname:
Association with [Zostera noltii] on superficial muddy sands in sheltered waters

description:
Association with the [Zostera noltii]  on muddy sands in sheltered waters. The [Zostera noltii]  constitutes a bed in areas where there is an active deposit of fine matter. The epifauna of the vascular plants is poor. The population can tolerate a slight local lack of salt.


hname:
Association with [Zostera marina] in euryhaline and eurythermal environment

description:
This association is found in euryhaline and eurythermal waters and it is characterised by the eel-grass [Zostera marina].


description:
Formations of the Mediterranean endemic [Zostera hornemanniana], vicariant of [Zostera marina], often confined to coastal lagoons, recorded also from the Istrio-Dalmatian archipelago.


hname:
Middle European [Ruppia] and [Zannichellia] communities

description:
Submerged beds of [Ruppia maritima], [Ruppia cirrhosa], [Zannichellia pedicellata], [Chara] spp., [Tolypella nidifica] of brackish seas, sea inlets, estuaries, permanent pools of mud or sand flats, and coastal lagoons of Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic coasts of boreal and temperate Europe.


description:
Submerged beds of [Ruppia maritima] or [Ruppia cirrhosa] and of [Chara] spp. of sea inlets, estuaries, permanent pools of mud or sand flats, and coastal lagoons of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the subtropical Atlantic, north to southwestern Iberia, south to 27°N.


hname:
[Ruppia maritima] in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sand

description:
In sheltered brackish muddy sand and mud, beds of [Ruppia maritima] and more rarely [Ruppia spiralis] may occur. These beds may be populated by fish such as [Gasterosteus aculeatus] which is less common on filamentous algal-dominated sediments. Seaweeds such as [Chaetomorpha] spp., [Enteromorpha] spp., [Cladophora] spp., and [Chorda filum] are also often present in addition to occasional fucoids. In some cases the stoneworts [Lamprothamnium papulosum] and [Chara aspera] occur. Infaunal and epifaunal species may include mysid crustacea, the polychaete [Arenicola marina], the gastropod [Hydrobia ulvae], the amphipod [Corophium volutator] and oligochaetes such as [Heterochaeta costata]. In some areas [Zostera marina] may also be interspersed with the [Ruppia] beds.


description:
This assemblage is characterised by the presence of the marine seagrass (phanerogam) [Posidonia oceanica]. This species is endemic to the Mediterranean and constitutes characteristic formations called Posidonia meadows, located between the surface and up to 50 metres depth.


hname:
Ecomorphosis of striped [Posidonia oceanica] meadows

description:
The striped [Posidonia oceanica] meadows facies is found at depth 0 - 5 metres. It appears as fairly narrow ribbons that can be several dozen metres long. These ribbons are separated by stretches of dead mat colonised by [Cymodocea nodosa] and/or [Caulerpa] spp.


hname:
Ecomorphosis of "barrier-reef" [Posidonia oceanica] meadows

description:
This ecomorphosis can be found in [Posidonia oceanica] beds present in sheltered bays. The vertical growth of the rhizomes leads to the raising of the mat, thus enabling the meadow to reach the surface.


hname:
Facies of dead "mattes" of [Posidonia oceanica] without much epiflora

description:
This facies is characterised by a dead mat of [Posidonia oceanica] without macro-epiflora.


hname:
Association with [Caulerpa prolifera] on [Posidonia] beds

description:
This facies is characterised by the presence of the green alga [Caulerpa prolifera] in association with the [Posidonia oceanica] bed.


hname:
Angiosperm communities in reduced salinity

description:
Beds of submerged or slightly emergent vascular vegetation of brackish seas, sea inlets, estuaries, permanent pools of mud or sand flats, and coastal lagoons.


hname:
Vegetation of brackish waters dominated by [Phragmites australis]

description:
Permanently low salinity muds or peaty muddy sands with some gravel which supports [Phragmites australis] reed beds. These reed beds are often found in enclosed water bodies influenced by freshwater inflow and may have notable quantities of decaying reed material. The substratum may be mixtures of mud, peaty mud, sand and some gravel. Filamentous green algae and charaphytes such as [Lamprothamnium papulosum] and [Chara aspera] may also be found in association with this biotope as well as a the freshwater quillwort [Myriophyllum] spp. The infaunal component of this biotope is poorly known. This biotope is further described as NVC type S4 (Rodwell 1995).


description:
Low and variable salinity infralittoral mud with beds of [Potamogeton pectinatus]. Other associated species are broadly similar to that of unit A5.5343, with blankets of filamentous green algae such as [Enteromorpha intestinalis], [Cladophora liniformis] and [Rhizoclonium riparium]. The grazing gastropod [Potamopyrgus antipodarum] is found in this biotope and juvenile [Mytilus edulis] have been observed settled on [Potamogeton] leaves and amongst the algae. The nationally scarce charaphyte [Lamprothamnium papulosum] may be found to some extent in this biotope but more often in neighbouring habitats (see Plaza & Sanderson 1997). Mysids, trout ([Salmo trutta]), and sticklebacks [Gasterosteus aculeatus] can be found swimming amongst the vegetation. [Mya arenaria] may be found in some examples of this biotope, but the infaunal component of this biotope requires further investigation but is likely to contain oligochaetes, [Arenicola marina], [Corophium volutator] and [Gammarus] spp.


hname:
Vegetation of brackish waters dominated by [Ranunculus baudotii]

description:
[Ranunculus] spp.-dominated communities developed in shallow-waters of very low salinity of coastal lagoons, coastal basins and coastal waters of the Palaearctic region, including the Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. The most widespread characteristic species is [Ranunculus baudotii]. Locally, other crowfoots may be typical, as, in particular, in the Gulf of Bothnia, [Ranunculus trichophyllus] ([Ranunculus confervoides]).


hname:
Vegetation of brackish waters dominated by [Scirpus lacustris] or [Scirpus tabernaemontani]


hname:
[Zostera] beds in reduced salinity infralittoral sediments


description:
This habitat type includes polychaete reefs, bivalve reefs (e.g. mussel beds) and cold water coral reefs. These communities develop in a range of habitats from exposed open coasts to estuaries, marine inlets and deeper offshore habitats and may be found in a variety of sediment types and salinity regimes.


hname:
Sublittoral polychaete worm reefs on sediment

description:
Sublittoral reefs of polychaete worms in mixed sediments found in a variety of hydrographic conditions. Such habitats may range from extensive structures of considerable size to loose agglomerations of tubes. Such communities often play an important role in the structural composition or stability of the seabed and provide a wide range of niches for other species to inhabit. Consequently polychaete worm reefs often support a diverse flora and fauna.


hname:
[Sabellaria spinulosa] on stable circalittoral mixed sediment

description:
The tube-building polychaete [Sabellaria spinulosa] at high abundances on mixed sediment. These species typically forms loose agglomerations of tubes forming a low lying matrix of sand, gravel, mud and tubes on the seabed. The infauna comprises typical sublittoral polychaete species such as [Protodorvillea kefersteini], [Pholoe synophthalmica], [Harmothoe] spp, [Scoloplos armiger], [Mediomastus fragilis], [Lanice conchilega] and cirratulids, together with the bivalve [Abra alba], and tube building amphipods such as [Ampelisca] spp. The epifauna comprise a variety of bryozoans including [Flustra foliacea], [Alcyonidium diaphanum] and [Cellepora pumicosa], in addition to calcareous tubeworms, pycnogonids, hermit crabs and amphipods. The reefs formed by [Sabellaria] consolidate the sediment and allow the settlement of other species not found in adjacent habitats leading to a diverse community of epifaunal and infauna species. The development of such reefs is assisted by the settlement behaviour of larval [Sabellaria] which are known to selectively settle in areas of suitable sediment and particularly on existing [Sabellaria] tubes (Tait and Dipper, 1997; Wilson 1929). These reefs are particularly affected by dredging or trawling and in heavily dredged or disturbed areas an impoverished community may be left (e.g. A5.143) particularly if the activity or disturbance is prolonged. However, it is likely that reefs of [S. spinulosa] can recover quite quickly from short term or intermediate levels of disturbance as found by Vorberg (2000) in the case of disturbance from shrimp fisheries and recovery will be accelerated if some of the reef is left intact following disturbance as this will assist larval settlement of the species.
Situation: [S. spinulosa] reefs are often found in areas with quite high levels of natural sediment disturbance.
Temporal variation: In some areas the reefs are periodically destroyed by storm events leading to a cyclical shift in biotopes from A5.611 to other biotopes e.g. A5.143 or A5.261 with re-establishment of the [Sabellaria] colonies in the following year.


hname:
[Sabellaria alveolata] on variable salinity sublittoral mixed sediment

description:
Tide-swept sandy mixed sediments with cobbles and pebbles, in variable salinity or fully marine conditions, may be characterised by surface accumulations of the reef building polychaete [Sabellaria alveolata]. The presence of [Sabellaria] sp. has a strong influence on the associated infauna as the tubes bind the surface sediments together and provide increased stability. Such reefs may form large structures up to a metre in height although they are considerably less extensive than the intertidal reefs formed by this species (unit A2.711). Other associated species may include the polychaete [Melinna cristata], itself often as dense aggregations, mobile surface feeding polychaetes including [Typosyllis armillary] and [Eulalia tripunctata]. Other polychaetes may include [Mediomastus fragilis] and [Pygospio elegans] whilst amphipods such as [Harpinia pectinata] and tubificid oligochaetes may also be found.


hname:
[Serpula vermicularis] reefs on very sheltered circalittoral muddy sand

description:
Large clumps (mini 'reefs') of the calcareous tubes of [Serpula vermicularis], typically attached to stones on muddy sediment in very sheltered conditions in sealochs and other marine inlets. A rich associated biota attached to the calcareous tube may include [Esperiopsis fucorum], thin encrusting sponges, and the ascidians [Ascidiella aspersa], [Ascidia mentula], [Dendrodoa grossularia] and [Diplosoma listerianum]. The echinoderms [Ophiothrix fragilis] and [Psammechinus miliaris] and the queen scallop ([Aequipecten opercularis]) are also found throughout this biotope. In shallow water dense [Phycodrys rubens] may grow on the 'reefs'. This biotope has been recorded in the U.K. from Loch Creran, where these reefs have been well studied (Moore 1996), and Loch Sween, where they are reported to have deteriorated. The only other known sites for this biotope are Salt Lake, Cliffden and Killary Harbour, Co. Galway.


description:
Sublittoral mussel beds comprised of either the horse mussel [Modiolus modiolus] or the common mussel [Mytilus edulis]. These communities may be sublittoral extensions of littoral reefs or exist independently. Found in a variety of habitats ranging from sheltered estuaries and marine inlets to open coasts and offshore areas they may occupy a range of substrata, although due to the stabilising effect such communities have on the substratum muddy mixed sediments are typical. A diverse range of epibiota and infauna often exists in these communities.


hname:
[Modiolus modiolus] beds with hydroids and red seaweeds on tide-swept circalittoral mixed substrata

description:
[Modiolus] beds on mixed substrata (cobbles, pebbles and coarse muddy sediments) in moderately strong currents or wave exposed areas, typically on the open coast but also in tide-swept channels of marine inlets. [Ophiothrix fragilis] are often common in this biotope along with the calcareous tubes of [Pomatoceros triqueter], anemones such as [Alcyonium digitatum] and [Urticina felina] and hydroids such as [Abietinaria abietina] and [Sertularia argentea]. [Buccinum undatum] may also be important and in some areas the clam [Chlamys varia] may be frequent but not in the same abundances as in unit A5.624. Little information on the infaunal component is given here although it is likely that it is very rich and may highlight more subtle differences in the [Modiolus] biotopes. This biotope is typified by examples off the north-west Lleyn Peninsula in N Wales and off Co. Down, Northern Ireland.


hname:
[Modiolus modiolus] beds on open coast circalittoral mixed sediment

description:
Muddy gravels and coarse sands in deeper water of continental seas may contain venerid bivalves with beds of [Modiolus modiolus]. The clumping of the byssus threads of the [M. modiolus] creates a stable habitat that attracts a very rich infaunal community with a high density of polychaete species including [Glycera lapidum], [Paradoneis lyra], [Aonides paucibranchiata], [Laonice bahusiensis], [Protomystides bidentata], [Lumbrineris] spp., [Mediomastus fragilis] and syllids such as [Exogone] spp. and [Sphaerosyllis] spp. Bivalves such as [Spisula elliptica], [Timoclea ovata] and other venerid species are also common. Brittlestars such as [Amphipholis squamata] may also occur with this community. This biotope is very similar to A5.451 and the 'boreal off-shore gravel association' and the 'deep Venus community' described by previous workers (Ford 1923; Jones 1951). Similar [Modiolus] beds (though with a less diverse infauna) on open coast stable boulders, cobbles and sediment are described under A5.621.


hname:
[Modiolus modiolus] beds with fine hydroids and large solitary ascidians on very sheltered circalittoral mixed substrata

description:
Beds or scattered clumps of [Modiolus modiolus] in generally sheltered conditions with only slight tidal movement. Typically occurs in sealochs and the Shetland voes. Brittlestars [Ophiothrix fragilis] and [Ophiocomina nigra], as well as [Ophiopholis aculeata] are often frequent, sometimes forming a dense bed as described in A5.445. The queen scallop [Aequipecten opercularis] is often present in moderate abundances. Large solitary ascidians ([Ascidiella aspersa], [Corella parallelogramma, Dendrodoa grossularia]) and fine hydroids ([Kirchenpaueria pinnata]) are present attached to the mussel shells. Decapods such as hermit crabs ([Pagurus bernhardus]) and spider crabs ([Hyas araneus]) are typically present. Coralline algal crusts may be found on the mussel shells, with some red seaweeds in shallower water such as [Phycodrys rubens]. Little information on the infaunal component is given here although it is likely that it is very rich and may highlight more subtle differences in the [Modiolus] biotopes.


hname:
Bubbling reefs in the sublittoral euphotic zone


hname:
Bubbling reefs in the sublittoral euphotic zone with little or no macrophyte vegetation


hname:
Bubbling reefs in the sublittoral euphotic zone dominated by macrophyte vegetation


hname:
Freshwater seeps in sublittoral sediments


hname:
Pontic sulphide vents in infralittoral sediments


hname:
Organically-enriched or anoxic sublittoral habitats


hname:
Periodically and permanently anoxic sublittoral muds


hname:
[Beggiatoa] spp. on anoxic sublittoral mud

description:
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).


description:
The sea bed beyond the continental shelf break. The shelf break occurs at variable depth, but is generally over 200 m. The upper limit of the deep-sea zone is marked by the edge of the shelf. Includes areas of the Mediterranean Sea which are deeper than 200 m but not of the Baltic Sea which is a shelf sea. Excludes caves in the deep sea which are classified in A4.71 irrespective of depth.


hname:
Deep-sea rock and artificial hard substrata

description:
Deep-sea benthic habitats with substrates predominantly of bedrock, immobile boulders or artificial hard substrates.


hname:
Permanently submerged flanks of oceanic islands


description:
Seamounts are defined as undersea mountains, with a crest that rises more than 1,000 m above the surrounding sea floor (Menard, 1964 in Rogers, 1994). Seamounts can be a variety of shapes, but are generally conical with a circular, elliptical or more elongate base. Seamounts are volcanic in origin, and are often associated with seafloor ‘hot-spots’; thinner areas of the earth’s crust where magma can escape. Seamounts, often with a slope inclination of up to 60°, provide a striking contrast to the surrounding ‘flat’ abyssal plain. Their relief has profound effects on the surrounding oceanic circulation, with the formation of trapped waves, jets, eddies and closed circulations known as Taylor columns (Taylor, 1917 in Rogers, 1994). Seamounts occur frequently within the OSPAR Maritime Area. Analysis of narrow beam bathymetric data by the US Naval Oceanographic office from 1967-1989 identified more than 810 seamounts within the North Atlantic. The majority occur along the Mid-Atlantic ridge between Iceland and the Hayes fracture zone (Gubbay, 2002).
The enhanced currents that occur around seamounts provide ideal conditions for suspension feeders. Gorgonian, scleratinian and antipatharian corals may be particularly abundant, and other suspension feeders such as sponges, hydroids and ascidians are also present. Concentrations of commercially important fish species, such as [Hoplostethus atlanticus] (orange roughy), aggregate around seamounts and live in close association with the benthic communities (Gubbay, 2002).


hname:
Summit communities of seamount, knoll or bank within euphotic zone


hname:
Summit communities of seamount, knoll or bank within the mesopelagic zone, i.e. interacting with diurnally migrating plankton


hname:
Deep summit communities of seamount, knoll or bank (i.e. below mesopelagic zone)


hname:
Moat around base of seamount, knoll or bank


hname:
Communities of ridge axial trough (i.e. non-vent fauna)


hname:
Oceanic ridge without hydrothermal effects

description:
Benthic communities occupying raised features of the deep sea-floor; they include assemblages colonizing active or nonactive constructive midocean ridges, as well as those developed on asismic ridges, but with the exception of hydrothermal communities.


description:
Carbonate mounds are very steep-sided mounds of variety of shapes, which may be up to 350 m high and 2 km wide at their base (Weering et al, 2003). They occur offshore in water depths of 500 m-1100 m with examples present in the Porcupine Seabight and Rockall Trough (Kenyon et al, 2003). Carbonate mounds may have a sediment veneer, typically composed of carbonate sands, muds and silts. The cold-water reef-building corals [Lophelia pertusa] and [Madrepora oculata], as well as echiuran worms are characteristic fauna of carbonate mounds. Where cold-water corals (such as [Lophelia]) are present on the mound summit, coral debris may form a significant component of the overlying substratum.
There is currently speculation on the origin of carbonate mounds, with possible associations with fault-controlled methane seepage from deep hydrocarbon reservoirs, or gas-hydrate dissociation (Henriet et al, 1998) through to the debris from ‘cold-water’ coral colonies such as [Lophelia].


hname:
Deep-sea trenches and canyons, channels, slope failures and slumps on the continental slope

description:
Habitats on the deep-sea bed significantly below the deep-sea bed, including deep ocean trenches, often greater than 6000 m depth with an active margin reduction zone (A6.82), and downslope or along-slope channels on the deep-sea bed (A6.81).


hname:
Canyons, channels, slope failures and slumps on the continental slope


description:
Benthic communities of the oceanic trenches, deep elongated subduction troughs of the ocean floor.


hname:
Vents, seeps, hypoxic and anoxic habitats of the deep sea

description:
Deep-sea habitats characterised by chemical conditions. Includes interface habitats on the deep-sea bed where reducing conditions exist (A6.91), not generally associated with drastically elevated temperatures, including the carcasses of large cetaceans (A6.913). These habitats are often indicated by the presence of seeping or bubbling gases or liquids, hypoxic and/or anoxic conditions in the water column above. Also includes vents in the deep-sea bed (A6.94).


hname:
Cold seep benthic communities of hadal zone

description:
Highly distinctive benthic communities of large bivalves, sponges and bryozoans, inhabiting the vicinity of oceanic methane-laden seeps, mostly localized in subduction trenches.


hname:
Cetacean and other carcasses on the deep-sea bed


hname:
Deep-sea bed influenced by hypoxic water column


hname:
Isolated ‘oceanic’ features influenced by hypoxic water column


description:
Hydrothermal vents occur along spreading ridges (such as the mid-Atlantic ridge), subduction zones, fracture zones and back-arc basins (Gage & Tyler, 1991), and are caused by seawater penetrating the upper levels of the Earth’s crust through channels formed in cooling lava flows, reacting chemically with hot basalt in the Earth’s crust and then rising back to the sea-bed to vent as superheated water containing compounds such as sulphides, metals, CO2 and methane (Tunnicliffe et al, 1998 in Gubbay, 2002). The water may trickle out from cracks and crevices on the seabed as hot springs (5-250°C), or as very concentrated jets of superheated water (270-380°C). As these concentrated jets of water cool, minerals dissolved in the water precipitate out in black clouds, giving them their common name of ‘black smokers’. At lower temperatures, sulphides are mostly precipitated within the rocks, making the venting fluids appear cloudier. These are known as ‘white smokers’ (Gage & Tyler, 1991). Hydrothermal vent fields cover relatively small areas of the seabed in water depths of 850 - 4000 m. The biological communities associated with hydrothermal vents are unusual as they are able to derive energy under conditions where photosynthesis is not possible. These habitats contain a huge diversity of chemoautotrophic bacteria, which form the core of the trophic structure around the vent. Characteristic species include the giant vent clam [Calyptogena magnifica], the mussel [Bathymodiolus thermophilus], the tube worm [Riftia pachyptila], the crabs [Cyanograea praedator] and [Bythograea thermydron] and the shrimp [Charocaris fortunate].


hname:
Pontic anoxic H2S black muds of the slope and abyssal plain, with anaerobic sulphate reducing bacteria and nematodes


description:
The water column of shallow or deep sea, or enclosed coastal waters. Note that because of the strong temporal nature of the pelagic environment, the water column at a given location will be classified differently at different times of the year.


description:
The interface between air and sea water, inhabited by communities of minute or microscopic organisms.


hname:
Completely mixed water column with reduced salinity

description:
A water column which is completely and actively mixed, and influenced by freshwater so that the salinity is reduced relative to the adjacent fully marine seawater. This habitat type is usually found in relatively shallow, coastal situations, and is the result of river inflow or ice melt. Note that some discretion should be used in the interpretation of “adjacent”, for example in the Baltic Sea, “adjacent” fully marine seawater is reached only in the Kattegat.


hname:
Completely mixed water column with reduced salinity and short residence time


hname:
Baltic outer unenclosed seasonally stratified coastal water


hname:
Completely mixed water column with reduced salinity and medium residence time


hname:
Baltic inner unenclosed seasonally stratified coastal water


hname:
Completely mixed water column with reduced salinity and long residence time


hname:
Water body of Baltic eutrophic coastal lakes


hname:
Water body of Baltic mesotrophic coastal lakes


hname:
Water body of Baltic eutrophic glo-lakes


hname:
Water body of Baltic mesotrophic glo-lakes


hname:
Completely mixed water column with full salinity

description:
A water column which is completely and actively mixed, not influenced by freshwater, so that the salinity is the same as that in adjacent seawater. This habitat type is usually found in relatively shallow, coastal situations, without river inflow or ice melt.


hname:
Completely mixed water column with full salinity and short residence time


hname:
Completely mixed water column with full salinity and medium residence time


hname:
Completely mixed water column with full salinity and long residence time


hname:
Partially mixed water column with reduced salinity and medium or long residence time

description:
A water column which is unmixed or only partially mixed because the depth of the water body is greater than the depth of mixing. Salinity is reduced relative to the adjacent fully marine seawater. This habitat type is usually found in deeper coastal water situations and is the result of river inflow or ice melt. Note that some discretion should be used in the interpretation of “adjacent”, for example in the Baltic Sea, “adjacent” fully marine seawater is reached only in the Kattegat. Medium residence time is defined as changing over time preiods greater than daily and up to about 14 days (based on the time required for the phytoplankton population to double) and long residence time lasting longer than 14 days.


hname:
Partially mixed water column with reduced salinity and medium residence time


hname:
Partially mixed water column with reduced salinity and long residence time


hname:
Large migrating dunes with no or low vegetation


description:
Mobile dunes forming the seaward cordon or cordons of dune systems of the coasts of nemoral, steppe, Mediterranean and warm-temperate humid zones. Communities of [Ammophilion arenariae], [Ammophilion borealis], [Zygophyllion fontanesii] and several indicator species: [Ammophila arenaria], [Eryngium maritimum], [Euphorbia paralias], [Otanthus maritimus]. White dunes are further subdivided by region: Atlantic, Western Tethyan, Canario-Saharan and Pontic.


description:
White dunes of the Atlantic, south to Aquitaine, of the North Sea and of the Baltic coasts of Denmark, southern Sweden, Germany, Poland, the Baltic States and Russia, dominated, when vegetated, by marram grass ([Ammophila arenaria]) accompanied by, among others, [Eryngium maritimum], [Euphorbia paralias], [Calystegia soldanella].


hname:
Coastal dunes: white dunes (sensu strictu)


description:
White dunes of the Mediterranean coasts and of the subtropical Atlantic coasts of Iberia and mediterranean North Africa, south to Safi at 32° N, dominated, when vegetated, by the marram grass [Ammophila arenaria ssp. arundinacea] ([Ammophila australis]), accompanied by, among others, [Otanthus maritimus], [Echinophora spinosa], [Eryngium maritimum], [Euphorbia paralias], [Cutandia maritima], [Medicago marina], [Anthemis maritima].


description:
Mobile dunes of the Canary Islands and of the mediterraneo-Saharan coasts of Atlantic North Africa, with [Traganum moquini], [Euphorbia paralias], [Polycarpaea nivea], [Cyperus capitatus], [Ononis natrix], [Convolvulus caput-medusae], [Polygonum maritimum], [Lotus] spp. and the threatened Lanzarote endemic lily [Androcymbium psammophilum].


description:
Mobile dunes of the Black Sea coasts, with [Leymus racemosus ssp. sabulosus] ([Elymus giganteus]), [Elymus farctus ssp. bessarabicus], [Elymus pycnanthus], [Artemisia tschernieviana], [Eryngium maritimum], [Convolvulus persicus], [Petasites spurius], [Corispermum marschallii], [Lactuca tatarica], [Crambe maritima var. pontica], [Cynanchum acutum], [Centaurea arenaria ssp. odessana], [Argusia sibirica] ([Tournefortia arguzia]) and, in western formations, [Ammophila arenaria ssp. arundinacea], [Euphorbia paralias], [Calystegia soldanella].


description:
Young dunes of arctic and boreal latitudes colonised by halo-nitrophilous perennial vegetation similar to that of unit B1.23, including [Leymus arenarius] ([Elymus arenarius]), [Ammophila arenaria], [Honkenya peploides], [Elymus farctus] ([Elytrigia juncea]), [Elymus repens], [Mertensia maritima].


hname:
Coastal stable dune grassland (grey dunes)

description:
Fixed or semifixed dunes of the coasts of the boreal, nemoral, steppe, mediterranean and warm-temperate humid zones, with the perennial grasslands, chamaephyte-dotted grasslands, forblands, subshrub or succulent communities that stabilise them and the therophyte communities that may occupy the grassland clearings.


description:
Grasslands of Baltic, North Sea, English Channel and northern Atlantic fixed dunes, including those of the British Isles, the Faeroes, southern Norway, the North Sea and Baltic coasts, the Channel coasts of France.


description:
Calciphile communities of fixed dunes of the North Sea, the English Channel, the north Atlantic and, locally, of the southwestern Baltic, with [Koeleria albescens], ([Koeleria glauca], [Koeleria arenaria]), [Galium verum var. maritimum], [Viola curtisii], [Ononis repens], [Festuca rubra], [Festuca polesica], [Anthyllis vulneraria ssp. maritima] and moss (e.g. [Tortula ruraliformis]) and lichen carpets.


description:
Communities of less calcareous or decalcified dunes of the North Atlantic, the English Channel, the North Sea and the Baltic north to southern Norway, northern Jutland, southern Sweden, the Kalinin district and the Gulf of Riga, often rich in [Corynephorus canescens] and [Viola canina].


description:
Short-lived, warmth-loving communities of the dunes of the North Atlantic and its connected seas north to extreme southern Sweden, with [Cerastium diffusum ssp. diffusum], [Cerastium diffusum ssp. subtetrandrum], [Cerastium semidecandrum], [Erodium lebelii], [Phleum arenarium], [Silene conica].


description:
Fixed dune grasslands infiltrated by dwarf bushes of French Brittany and the coasts of the Bay of Biscay, with [Helichrysum stoechas], [Artemisia campestris], [Ephedra distachya].


description:
Fixed dunes of the western and central Mediterranean and of the thermo-Atlantic coasts of Portugal, southwestern Spain and North Africa, colonised by communities mostly composed of fruticose species, with [Crucianella maritima], [Artemisia crithmifolia], [Armeria pungens], [Armeria welwitschi], [Helichrysum decumbens], [Helichrysum italicum], [Teucrium] spp., [Ephedra distachya], [Pancratium maritimum] and [Ononis natrix ssp. ramosissima]. Communities of [Crucianellion maritimae] and [Ononidion ramosissimae].


description:
Coastal dune communities of the Adriatic, the Ionian, the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean, dominated by dwarf shrubs and subshrubs of genera [Ephedra], [Ononis], [Artemisia], and, very locally, [Crucianella] or others, by tall canes or by succulents; they may be rich in species of genus [Silene], together with [Euphorbia terracina] among others. Vegetation of the alliances [Crucianellion maritimae], [Medicagini marinae-Triplachnion nitensis], [Ammophilion arenariae].


description:
Dunal grasslands, in particular of northern Brittany, rich in species characteristic of dry calcareous grasslands (c.f. unit E1.26).


description:
[Geranium sanguineum]-rich forb and grass communities, related to hem formations of unit E5.2, developed within grey dune systems of western Ireland, southwestern England, Wales, Brittany and southwestern Norway.


description:
Sparse pioneer formations of fine grasses rich in spring-blooming therophytes characteristic of oligotrophic, superficial soils in grey dune systems of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. They are closely related to grasslands of units E1.8 and E1.9.


hname:
Tethyan dune deep sand therophyte communities

description:
Therophyte communities of the coasts of the Mediterranean basin and the subtropical Atlantic colonizing deep sands in clearings of perennial communities of fixed or semi-fixed dune systems, and sometimes deflation depressions of white dunes with e.g. several [Malcolmia] spp.


description:
Therophyte communities of shallow, calcareous fixed sands of the coastal dune systems of the Mediterranean basin. These are coastal dune representatives of unit E1.3.


hname:
Thermo-Atlantic succulent and semi-fixed dunes

description:
Fixed or semi-fixed dunes of the Canary Islands and of the Saharo-mediterranean zone of the Atlantic coasts of North Africa, between Essaouira and Tan-Tan, dominated by the tall shrubby chenopod [Traganum moquinii] or by dwarf shrubs or subshrubs.


description:
Fixed dunes of the coasts of the Black Sea.


description:
Fixed dunes of the western coasts of the Black Sea, north of the Bosphorus and west of the Dniester.


description:
Fixed dunes of the southwestern coasts of the Black Sea, between the Bosphorus and Cape Caliacra, harbouring the psammophytes [Cionura erecta], [Peucedanum arenarium], [Jurinea albicaulis ssp. kilaea], [Silene thymifolia], [Medicago marina], [Secale sylvestre], [Pancratium maritimum], [Convolvulus persicus], [Scabiosa argentea] ([Scabiosa ucranica]), [Euphorbia seguierana] and the Balkan endemic [Lepidotrichum uechtritzianum].


description:
Dunes of the northwestern Black Sea coast, in particular, those associated with the mouth of the Danube.


description:
Fixed dunes of the northern and eastern Black Sea coasts, east of the Dniester, southeastwards to the Kuban basin.


description:
Fixed dunes of the southern and southeastern coasts of the Black Sea.


description:
Communities of fixed dunes of the boreal and arctic coasts of Atlantic Eurasia, characterized by the dominance of species of the [Honkenyo-Elymetea] and the presence of arcto-alpine species.


description:
Stable dunes with a leached surface and vegetation dominated by [Calluna vulgaris], [Empetrum nigrum] or [Erica] spp.


description:
[Empetrum nigrum] or [Empetrum hermaphroditum] colonizing dunes of the Arctic Ocean, the North Atlantic, the North Sea and the southern Baltic.


description:
[Erica], [Calluna] and [Ulex] heaths colonizing decalcified dunes of France, Iberia, Britain, the Baltic coast, and Scandinavia.


description:
[Calluna vulgaris]-[Carex arenaria] heaths of inner coastal dunes of East Anglia.


description:
[Calluna vulgaris]-[Carex trinervis] heaths of northern French inner coastal dunes.


hname:
British bell heather coastal dune heaths

description:
[Erica cinerea]-[Carex arenaria] heaths of decalcified coastal dunes of the western British Isles, mostly dominated by [Erica cinerea], sometimes by [Calluna vulgaris].


description:
[Erica cinerea]-[Festuca vasconcensis] heaths of dry coastal dunes of southwestern France.


description:
[Erica ciliaris]-[Pseudarrhenatherum longifolium] ([Arrhenatherum thorei]) heaths of more humid coastal dunes of southwestern France.


hname:
Iberian green heather coastal dune heaths

description:
[Erica scoparia]-[Ulex parviflorus ssp. eriocladus] ([Ulex australis]) heaths of southwestern Iberian coastal dunes, dunal fraction of the thermo-Mediterranean heaths of unit F5.5C1.


hname:
Iberian Dorset heath coastal dune heaths

description:
[Erica ciliaris]-[Ulex parviflorus ssp. eriocladus] heaths of more humid southwestern Iberian coastal dunes.


description:
Open heathlands of inner coastal dunes of Denmark, of the southern and southeastern Baltic coast, of southern Scania, the Kattegat coast of Sweden, Åland, Gotland and the Öland-Archipelago Sea dominated by [Calluna vulgaris], with [Empetrum nigrum], [Carex arenaria], [Deschampsia flexuosa], [Hieracium umbellatum], [Lotus corniculatus], [Polypodium vulgare], [Salix repens], and a ground layer constituted mostly by [Dicranum scoparium] and [Pleurozium schreberi].


description:
Stable dunes with scrub, e.g. [Hippophae rhamnoides], [Salix repens] in the north, or [Juniperus] spp. or sclerophyllous shrubs in the south.


description:
Dense formations of large, mostly deciduous, shrubs of nemoral affinities of the coastal dunes and dune-slacks of the boreal, nemoral, steppe, mediterranean and warm-temperate humid zones of the Palaearctic region; they include sea-buckthorn, privet, elder, willow, gorse or broom, often festooned with creepers such as honeysuckle or white bryony ([Bryonia cretica]).


description:
Thickets dominated by [Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. rhamnoides] colonizing dry or humid dune depressions of the coasts of the North Sea, the eastern English Channel and the southern Baltic, mostly in Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Kalinin district, the Netherlands, Belgium, Northern France and southeastern and eastern England and southeastern Scotland.


description:
Dunal pre-forest thickets of nemoral affinities of the coastal dunes of the western Palaearctic region formed of species of genera [Ulex], [Sarothamnus], [Rubus], [Ligustrum], [Daphne], [Sambucus]. Codes of subdivisions of unit F3.2 can be used, in addition to unit B1.612, to specify the habitat. Listed elsewhere are dunal formations of heaths (units B1.51, B1.52), sea-buckthorn ([Hippophae rhamnoides], unit B1.611) or creeping willow ([Salix arenaria], unit B1.62).


description:
Mats of [Salix arenaria] colonizing dry or humid dune depressions of Atlantic, North Sea, English Channel, Irish Sea and Baltic coasts of western and northwestern Europe.


description:
Juniper heaths and thickets formed by [Juniperus phoenicea], [Juniperus lycia] s.l., [Juniperus macrocarpa], [Juniperus transtagana], [Juniperus communis] in dune slacks and on dune slopes of the coasts of the boreal, nemoral, steppe, mediterranean or warm-temperate humid zones of the Palaearctic region.


description:
The lowest level of the supralittoral, just above the normal tide limit, where drift material accumulates and the shingle may be rich in nitrogenous organic matter. Vegetation, if present at all, is very open and composed of annuals or, particularly by the Mediterranean, especially the east Mediterranean, of annuals and perennials, occupying accumulations of drift material and gravels rich in nitrogenous organic matter; characteristic are [Cakile maritima], [Salsola kali], [Atriplex] spp., [Polygonum] spp., [Euphorbia peplis], [Mertensia maritima], and, particularly in Mediterranean formations, [Glaucium flavum], [Matthiola sinuata], [Matthiola tricuspidata], [Euphorbia paralias], [Eryngium maritimum].


hname:
Boreo-arctic gravel beach annual communities

description:
Beach and upper beach formations, mostly of annuals of the low Arctic and high Arctic oceanic zones of the Palaearctic Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans, occupying accumulations of drift material and gravels rich in nitrogenous organic matter; characteristic are [Cakile edentula], [Polygonum norvegicum] ([Polygonum oxyspermum ssp. raii]), [Atriplex longipes] s.l., [Atriplex glabriuscula], [Mertensia maritima].


hname:
Atlantic and Baltic shingle beach drift lines

description:
Formations, predominantly of annuals, occupying accumulations of drift material and gravels rich in nitrogenous organic matter on nemoral and boreonemoral beaches of the Atlantic, the North Sea and the Baltic; characteristic are [Cakile maritima ssp. maritima], [Cakile maritima ssp. baltica], [Salsola kali], [Atriplex] spp. (particularly [Atriplex glabriuscula]), [Polygonum] spp., [Euphorbia peplis], [Mertensia maritima], [Glaucium flavum].


hname:
Gravel beach communities of the mediterranean region

description:
Very open, low formations of annuals and perennials of Mediterranean, thermo-Atlantic and Black Sea gravel and shingle beaches, occupying accumulations of drift material, sandy gravels and gravels rich in nitrogenous organic matter; characteristic are [Cakile maritima ssp. aegyptiaca], [Cakile maritima ssp. euxina], [Enarthrocarpus arcuatus], [Matthiola sinuata], [Matthiola tricuspidata], [Salsola kali], [Atriplex] spp., [Polygonum] spp., [Euphorbia peplis], [Euphorbia paralias], [Glaucium flavum], [Eryngium maritimum].


hname:
Unvegetated mobile shingle beaches above the driftline


hname:
Upper shingle beaches with open vegetation

description:
The upper beach of large shingle bars, with open pioneer communities or perennial vegetation mostly formed by [Crambe maritima], [Honkenya peploides], [Lathyrus japonicus] and a few other specialised species. Mainly in northwest Europe, from the Atlantic to the Baltic.


description:
Perennial communities of the shingle beaches and bars of the southern Baltic, east to Mecklenburg, where they are represented by fragmentary, endangered formations, of the Swedish, Finnish and Estonian coasts and islands of the Öland-Gotland basin, of the coasts of the Kattegat, the Oresund and the Baelts, dominated by [Crambe maritima], with [Leymus arenarius] ([Elymus arenarius]), [Euphorbia palustris], [Honkenya peploides], [Angelica archangelica ssp. litoralis], [Atriplex] spp., [Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima], [Elymus repens], [Geranium robertiana ssp. rubricaule], [Glaucium flavum], [Isatis tinctoria], [Ligusticum scoticum], [Mertensia maritima], [Silene vulgaris ssp. maritima] ([Silene uniflora]), [Tripleurospermum maritimum], [Valeriana salina].


description:
Perennial communities of the shingle beaches and bars of the southern North Sea and Channel coasts of southeastern England and, very locally, the Channel coast of France, dominated by [Crambe maritima], with [Lathyrus japonicus] and [Honkenya peploides].


description:
Perennial communities of the shingle beaches and bars of Brittany, the Cotentin peninsula and Anglesey, dominated by [Crambe maritima], with [Crithmum maritimum] and a sparse representation of other nitrophiles, in particular, [Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima], [Matricaria maritima], [Rumex crispus], [Glaucium flavum], [Solanum dulcamara var. maritima], [Sonchus oleraceus], [Galium aparine].


hname:
Gravelly beach and shingle pioneer communities

description:
Gravelly beaches can host pioneer communities of the class [Ammophiletea] consisting mainly of geophytes and hemicryptophytes, e.g. the association [Agropyro juncei-Sporoboletum pungentis] and the alliance [Medicagini marinae-Triplachnion nitensis]. They may sporadically be inundated by sea water during storms.


hname:
Fixed shingle beaches, with herbaceous vegetation

description:
Vegetated landward expanses of large coastal shingle banks, dominated by grasses or with other herbaceous vegetation.


description:
Dense perennial grasslands of boreal and nemoral coastal gravel banks of the Palaearctic region, in particular, swards of [Arrhenatherum elatius] of large Channel gravel banks.


description:
Coastal gravel banks with scrub. Included are dense thermo-mediterranean scrub on gravel banks beside the Mediterranean and heaths on shingle in the nemoral zone.


description:
Low heaths of boreal and nemoral coastal gravel banks of the Palaearctic region, in particular, prostrate [Cytisus scoparius] formations of large Channel gravel banks.


description:
Coastal gravel banks, colonised by woodland or riparian thickets, in particular, Mediterranean gravel banks colonized by [Quercus ilex] low woods, by [Tamarix africana] or [Vitex agnus-castus].


hname:
Rock cliffs, ledges and shores, including the supralittoral

description:
Rock exposures adjacent to the oceans, their connected seas and associated coastal lagoons, or separated from them by a narrow shoreline. The faces, ledges and caves of sea-cliffs and the expanses of rocky shore are important as reproduction, resting and feeding sites for seabirds, sea-mammals and a few groups of terrestrial birds. Sea-cliffs may also harbour highly distinctive, specialised salt-tolerant vegetation with associated terrestrial fauna.


hname:
Supralittoral rock (lichen or splash zone)

description:
Cliffs and rocks of the supralittoral spray zone, mostly occupied by lichens such as [Caloplaca] spp. and [Verrucaria] spp.


hname:
Lichens or small green algae on supralittoral and littoral fringe rock

description:
Lichen communities typically form a distinct zone or band in a 'splash' zone on most rocky shores. This splash zone occurs above the main intertidal zone (i.e. that subject to regular covering by the tide) and blends into angiosperm-dominated communities of coastal (terrestrial) habitats at its upper limits. The width of the splash zone varies considerably, depending on the degree of exposure of the shore to wave action. On very exposed coasts the zone is very wide, extending 10s of meters up cliffs, whilst in very sheltered sites it may be only a metre or so high. Several biotopes have been identified. Yellow and grey lichens such as [Xanthoria parietina], [Caloplaca marina], [Caloplaca thallincola] or [Ramalina] sp. dominate the supralittoral rock (B3.111) with the distinctive black band of [Verrucaria maura] occurring below in the littoral fringe (B3.1131, B3.1132). Small green seaweeds can sometimes be found in this splash zone, where localised conditions allow growth in what would otherwise be inhospitable conditions for seaweeds. Such an example is the green seaweed [Prasiola stipitata] which occurs in areas of nitrate enrichment from nearby roosting seabirds (B3.112). The littoral fringe on soft rock can be characterised by the green seaweed [Blidingia minima] (B3.114) while steep and vertical rock influenced by freshwater in the littoral fringe can be dominated by the green seaweeds [Ulothrix flacca], [Urospora penicilliformis] and [Urospora wormskioldii] (B3.115). The winkle [Littorina saxatilis] is one of the few 'marine' species found in this environment.
Situation: This habitat type is found in the littoral fringe and the supralittoral zone on all rocky shores if there is sufficient seawater spray to maintain a viable community.


hname:
Yellow and grey lichens on supralittoral rock

description:
Vertical to gently sloping bedrock and stable boulders in the supralittoral (or splash zone) of the majority of rocky shores are typically characterised by a diverse maritime community of yellow and grey lichens, such as [Xanthoria parietina], [Caloplaca marina], [Lecanora atra] and [Ramalina] spp. The black lichen [Verrucaria maura] is also present, but usually in lower abundance than in the littoral fringe zone. In wave exposed conditions, where the effects of sea-spray extend further up the shore, the lichens generally form a wide and distinct band. This band then becomes less distinct as wave exposure decreases, and in sheltered locations, cobbles and pebbles may also support the biotope. Pools, damp pits and crevices in the rock are occasionally occupied by winkles such as [Littorina saxatilis] and halacarid mites may also be present.
Situation: This biotope is usually found at the top of the shore, immediately above a zone of the black lichen [V. maura] (B3.1131, B3.1132). Above the band of B3.111, and occasionally in crevices in the rock alongside the lichens, terrestrial plants such as the thrift [Armeria maritima] and other angiosperms often occur. In sheltered areas the transition from B3.111 to B3.1132 is often indistinct and a mixed zone of B3.111 and B3.1132 may occur. In estuaries, this biotope is often restricted to artificial substrata such as sea defences.


hname:
[Prasiola stipitata] on nitrate-enriched supralittoral or littoral fringe rock

description:
Exposed to moderately exposed bedrock and large boulders in the supralittoral and littoral fringe that receives nitrate enrichment from nearby roosting sea birds and is characterised by a band or patches of the ephemeral tufty green seaweed [Prasiola stipitata] or [Prasiola] spp. This typically grows over the black lichen [Verrucaria maura] in the littoral fringe or yellow and grey lichens in the supralittoral zone. In damp pits and crevices, species such as the winkle [Littorina saxatilis], amphipods and halacarid mites are occasionally found. B3.112 often covers a smaller area than 5m x 5m and care should be taken to notice/record this biotope. The biotope can be associated with artificial substrata such as septic tanks, and in supralittoral areas influenced by sewage seeps or agricultural run-off.
Situation: This biotope is found at the top of rocky shores in the splash zone below colonies of nesting or roosting birds growing. B3.112 may also be found at the entrances to and on the ceilings of littoral caves or in patches on large boulders, where birds may be roosting. It can be found in the B3.111 or B3.1132 zones.
Temporal variation: [P. stipitata] reaches its maximum abundance during the winter months. It generally dies out during the summer in southern Britain, when the biotope reverts to either B3.111 or B3.1132. In the cooler northern areas it may be present all year round.


hname:
[Verrucaria maura] on littoral fringe rock

description:
Bedrock or stable boulders and cobbles in the littoral fringe which is covered by the black lichen [Verrucaria maura]. This lichen typically covers the entire rock surface giving a distinct black band in the upper littoral fringe. The winkle [Littorina saxatilis] is usually present. Two variants are defined which both occur in a wide range of wave exposures. On exposed shores [V. maura] may occur with sparse barnacles such as [Chthamalus] spp. or [Semibalanus balanoides] and may be covered by a band of ephemeral seaweeds such as [Porphyra umbilicalis] or [Enteromorpha] spp. (B3.1131). Above B3.1131 or on more sheltered shores is a species poor community consisting mainly of [V. maura] and [L. saxatilis] (B3.1132).
Situation: This biotope occurs below the yellow and grey lichen zone (B3.111) and above eulittoral communities of barnacles and fuciod algae.
Temporal variation: Distinct band of red or green ephemeral algae may obscure the black lichen band at certain times of the year.


hname:
[Verrucaria maura] and sparse barnacles on exposed littoral fringe rock

description:
The littoral fringe of very exposed to moderately exposed rocky shores with a sparse covering of the barnacles [Semibalanus balanoides] and/or [Chthamalus montagui] over the black lichen [Verrucaria maura]. Winkles [Littorina saxatilis] and [Melarhaphe neritoides] are usually present although [M. neritoides] tends to be found on more exposed shores. The limpet [Patella vulgata] is often present though at a low abundance (Occasional). This biotope can be dominated by ephemeral seaweeds including the red seaweed [Porphyra umbilicalis], the green seaweeds [Enteromorpha] spp. or, particulary in the north, microscopic blue-green algae (Cyanophyceae), which overgrow [V. maura]. The wrack [Pelvetia canaliculata] (Rare) may also be present, becoming increasingly more common with greater shelter (see A1.211). Geographical variation: On northern and eastern shores the barnacle is usually [S. balanoides], which is normally restricted to the lower littoral fringe, with a band of [V. maura] only in the upper littoral fringe. On south-west and western shores the barnacle is usually [C. montagui] which may extend over the whole of the littoral fringe zone.
Situation: B3.1131 is usually found on more exposed coasts below the [V. maura] biotope B3.1132. It is found above the mussel [Mytilus edulis] and barnacles biotope (A1.111) or above the barnacle and [Patella] spp. zone (A1.1121; A1.113). B3.1131 also occurs on vertical faces of moderately exposed shores where the [P]. [canaliculata] biotope (A1.211) usually dominates on non-vertical faces.
Temporal variation: The abundance of [P. umbilicalis] shows considerable seasonal and geographical variation. During warm weather [P. umbilicalis] is often bleached light brown and sticks to the rock as it dries out. On southern shores it may be absent during the summer on all but the most exposed shores, as it dies back leaving a barnacle and lichen dominated community. In the cooler north the [P]. [umbilicalis] covering persists throughout the year. [Porphyra linearis] can also be found in the among the [P. umbilicalis] during the late winter and spring.


hname:
[Verrucaria maura] on very exposed to very sheltered upper littoral fringe rock

description:
Upper littoral fringe bedrock, boulders and stable cobbles on very exposed to very sheltered shores which have a blanket covering of the black lichen [Verrucaria maura]. The winkle [Littorina saxatilis] is often present. Due to the nature of this biotope it is species poor, but occasionally a range of species may be present in low abundance. These species include the yellow lichen [Caloplaca marina] and the winkle [Melarhaphe neritoides], the barnacles [Chthamalus montagui] and [Semibalanus balanoides] or the ephemeral seaweeds [Porphyra umbilicalis] and [Enteromorpha] spp. can be present in low abundance (see B3.1131). If one or more of these species is present compare with B3.1131. On northern shores [Littorina saxatilis var. rudis] can dominate along with the occasional presence of the lichens [Verrucaria mucosa] and [Xanthoria parietina]. V. maura can be found overlying stable mud in N. Ireland sea loughs.
Situation: The black lichen zone is normally found below the yellow and grey lichen zone (B3.111). In very sheltered areas there is not always a clear transition from one zone to the next and a mixed zone of B3.111 and B3.1132 is common. The wrack [Pelvetia canaliculata] can occur on these more sheltered shores. With increasing wave exposure the two lichen zones become wider and more distinct, and B3.1132 gives way to a lichen and barnacle dominated community (B3.1131) in the lower littoral fringe.
Temporal variation: In areas with nitrate enrichment [V. maura] can be overgrown by the small green seaweed [Prasiola stipitata] (B3.112) which reaches its maximum abundance during the winter months. It generally dies out during the summer in southern Britain, reverting the biotope to B3.1132.


hname:
[Blidingia] spp. on vertical littoral fringe chalk

description:
Vertical soft rock in the littoral fringe may be characterised by a band of the green seaweeds [Blidingia minima] and [Blidingia marginata]. Unbranched filamentous green seaweeds, including [Ulothrix flacca] and [Urospora wormskioldii], are found amongst the [Blidingia] spp. The siphonous Xanthophyceae [Vaucheria] spp. can also occur in high abundance in this biotope, where they can form dense mats. During low tide terrestrial fauna such as red mites, insects and centipedes migrate into this zone. More information is needed to improve this description.
Situation: B3.114 is found below the [Verrucaria maura] zone (B3.1132) and above a band of the similar looking green algae [Enteromorpha] spp. (A1.451 and A1.452), where these occur in habitats not influenced by freshwater.


hname:
Mediterraneo-Pontic sea-cliffs and rocky shores

description:
Sea-cliffs, their associated faces, ledges and caves, rocky shores and isolated rocks of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The endangered [Monachus monachus] depends on their caves for reproduction. [Calonectris diomedea diomedea], [Puffinus yelkouan mauretanicus], [Puffinus yelkouan yelkouan], [Phalacrocorax aristotelis desmarestii], [Falco eleonorae], [Larus audouinii] are characteristic breeders. Their vascular aerohaline communities, as well as the rock communities of unit H3 that colonize their less salt-influenced reaches, are particularly diverse and rich in endemics.


hname:
Rock stacks and islets above splash zone


hname:
Rock cliffs, ledges and shores, with angiosperms

description:
Sea-cliffs, or parts of sea-cliffs, and rocky shores colonized by disjunct assemblages of salt-tolerant crevice plants (chasmophytes) or by more or less closed salt-tolerant grasslands with associated terrestrial invertebrate and vertebrate faunal communities.


description:
Vegetated cliffs of the northern Atlantic, the English Channel, the Irish Sea, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Arctic Ocean and its seas, the northwest Pacific and its seas.


hname:
Vegetated Baltic gently sloping rocky shores and cliffs

description:
Vegetated cliffs of the Baltic Sea, with [Silene vulgaris ssp. maritima], [Silene uniflora], [Ligusticum scoticum], [Armeria maritima], [Odontites litoralis ssp. litoralis], [Odontites litoralis ssp. fennica], [Matricaria maritima], [Senecio viscosus].


hname:
Baltic gently sloping limestone rocky shores with low vegetation


hname:
Baltic gently sloping limestone rocky shores dominated by shrubs or trees


hname:
Baltic gently sloping sandstone rocky shores with low vegetation


hname:
Baltic gently sloping sandstone rocky shores dominated by shrubs or trees


hname:
Baltic gently sloping crystalline bedrock shores with low vegetation


hname:
Baltic gently sloping crystalline bedrock shores dominated by shrubs or trees


hname:
Baltic coastal limestone cliffs and caves with low vegetation


hname:
Baltic coastal limestone cliffs and caves dominated by shrubs or trees


hname:
Baltic coastal sandstone cliffs and caves with low vegetation


hname:
Baltic coastal sandstone cliffs and caves dominated by shrubs or trees


hname:
Baltic coastal crystalline bedrock cliffs and caves with low vegetation


hname:
Baltic coastal crystalline bedrock cliffs and caves dominated by shrubs or trees


description:
Vegetated cliffs and rocky shores of the Mediterranean, of the Black Sea and of the subtropical eastern Atlantic with endemic [Limonium] spp. and e.g. [Silene sedoides], [Frankenia hirsuta], [Frankenia pulverulenta], [Crithmum maritimum], [Lotus cytisoides] of the [Crithmo-Staticetea] and the species of the [Saginetea]: [Anthemis rigida], [Bellium minutum], [Catapodium marinum], [Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum], [Parapholis incurva], [Phleum crypsoides], [Phleum exaratum], [Plantago weldenii], [Psilurus incurvus], [Sagina maritima], [Sedum litoreum], [Valantia muralis].


description:
Aerohaline communities of the cliffs and rocky shores of the Mediterranean, as well as of the southwestern Iberian and northwestern African Atlantic, with [Crithmum maritimum], [Plantago subulata], [Silene sedoides], [Sedum litoreum], [Limonium] spp., [Armeria] spp., [Euphorbia] spp., [Daucus] spp., [Asteriscus maritimus]. Mediterranean sea-cliffs harbour numerous endemics of of extremely local occurrence, in particular, of genus [Limonium], which comprises at least 43 and probably closer to 120-150 Mediterranean cliff species species, many of them restricted to a few stations, and several threatened, such as, for instance, [Limonium remotispiculum] of southern Italy and [Limonium strictissimum] of Corsica and Caprera.


description:
Communities of the cliffs of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Sea of Marmara.


hname:
Western Pontic herbaceous sea-cliff communities

description:
Herbaceous aerohaline communities of the sea-cliffs of the maritime façade of the Stranja and of the Cape Kaliakra area of Bulgaria, with [Limonium gmelinii], [Goniolimon collinum], [Crithmum maritimum], [Elymus pycnanthus], [Cichorium intybus], [Atriplex hastata], [Kochia prostrata], [Melilotus officinalis], [Convolvulus lineatus] and the local endemic [Silene caliacrae].


hname:
Western Pontic sea-cliff [Ficus] thickets

description:
Thickets of [Ficus carica] and [Ulmus minor] of the cliffs of the western Black Sea coast.


description:
Low cliffs and neighbouring sands of the southern Romanian Black Sea coast (between Constanta and Vama Veche), harbouring communities dominated by [Scolymus hispanicus] and [Ecbalium elaterium], with [Atriplex tatarica], [Xanthium spinosum], [Lactuca saligna], [Lolium perenne] and [Polygonum aviculare].


description:
Aerohaline communities of the cliffs of the northern Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, with [Crithmum maritimum], [Kochia prostrata], [Elymus farctus ssp. bessarabicus], [Holosteum umbellatum], [Puccinellia distans], [Limonium meyeri].


description:
Aerohaline communities of the cliffs of the southern coasts of the Black Sea.


hname:
Canary Island and Madeiran sea-cliff communities

description:
Aerohaline communities of the sea-cliffs of the Canaries and Madeira, with [Crithmum maritimum], [Astydamia latifolia], [Schizogyne sericea], [Andryala glutinosa], [Plantago coronopus], [Tolpis fruticosa], [Aizoon canariense], [Campylanthus salsoloides], [Limonium pectinatum], [Frankenia ericifolia], [Reichardia ligulata], [Argyranthemum frutescens], [Lotus] spp., [Asplenium marinum].


description:
Communities of the sea-cliffs of the Azores dominated by the endemic [Festuca petraea].


description:
Communities of vascular chasmophytes and animals colonizing the cliffs of coastal saline or hypersaline bodies of water, which differ very significantly from the cliff communities of units B3.31-B3.35.


description:
Endemic [Limonium secundirameum]-dominated formations of the cliffs overlooking Bagno dell' Acqua on the island of Pantelleria, southwest of Sicily.


description:
Halocalcareous cliff communities of coastal lagoons of the Black Sea at Cape Dolosman (Romania), dominated by [Artemisia santonicum], [Limonium gmelinii], [Halimione verrucifera] ([Obione verrucifera]) and [Lepidium cartilagineum], with Irano-Turanian species such as [Camphorosma annua], [Halocnemum strobilaceum], [Leuzea salina] and [Taraxacum bessarabicum].


description:
Sea-cliffs composed of relatively soft, unconsolidated or uncompacted mineral particle deposits, carved by wind and wave action. They may support scrub similar to that on dunes (B1.6), with [Hippophae rhamnoides], [Salix repens], [Sorbus aucuparia].


hname:
Baltic unvegetated coastal chalk cliffs and caves


hname:
Baltic coastal chalk cliffs and caves with low vegetation


hname:
Baltic coastal chalk cliffs and caves dominated by shrubs or trees


hname:
Baltic unvegetated coastal moraine cliffs and caves


hname:
Baltic unvegetated coastal moraine cliffs and caves with low vegetation


hname:
Baltic unvegetated coastal moraine cliffs and caves dominated by shrubs or trees


description:
Inland surface waters are non-coastal above-ground open fresh or brackish waterbodies (e.g. rivers, streams, lakes and pools, springs), including their littoral zones. Includes constructed inland freshwater, brackish or saline waterbodies (such as canals, ponds, etc) which support a semi-natural community of both plants and animals; seasonal waterbodies which may dry out for part of the year (temporary or intermittent rivers and lakes and their littoral zones). Freshwater littoral zones include those parts of banks or shores that are sufficiently frequently inundated to prevent the formation of closed terrestrial vegetation. Excludes permanent snow and ice. Note that habitats that intimately combine waterlogged mires and vegetation rafts with pools of open water are considered as complexes.


description:
Lakes, ponds and pools of natural origin containing fresh (i.e. nonsaline), brackish or salt water. Manmade freshwater bodies, including artificially created lakes, reservoirs and canals, provided that they contain seminatural aquatic communities.


hname:
Permanent oligotrophic lakes, ponds and pools

description:
Waterbodies with a low nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) content, mostly acid (pH 4-6). Includes oligotrophic waters of medium or high pH, e.g. calcareous and basic unpolluted nutrient-poor lakes and pools, which are rare in much of Europe and noted as a habitat of charophytes (C1.14). Excludes peaty, dystrophic waters (C1.4). Because of the low nutrient status, beds of vascular plants, including [Callitriche] spp., [Potamogeton] spp. and isoetids [Isoeto-Nanojuncetea] are often sparse and open.


hname:
Benthic communities of oligotrophic waterbodies


hname:
Rooted submerged vegetation of oligotrophic waterbodies

description:
Formations of Palaearctic water bodies constituted by submerged, rooted, perennial phanerogams with often emerging flower spikes, in particular entirely immersed pondweeds of genus [Potamogeton].


hname:
Rooted floating vegetation of oligotrophic waterbodies

description:
Formations of Palaearctic oligotrophic waters dominated by rooted vascular aquatic plants (macrophytes) with floating leaves. Species of the genus [Potamogeton] and [Sparganium] represent usual dominants.


description:
Sparse formations of narrow-leaved floating pondweeds, in particular, [Potamogeton polygonifolius] ([Potamogeton oblongus]), [Potamogeton gramineus], [Potamogeton alpinus], with [Callitriche] spp., [Ranunculus ololeucos], [Ranunculus omiophyllus], [Ranunculus tripartitus], [Luronium natans], [Sparganium minimum], [Apium inundatum] of shallow, oligotrophic, clean, fluctuating, but usually permanent, often small, waterbodies of the Palaearctic region. Communities of this unit often form in close proximity to those of unit C3.413 and evolve into them with regular or prolonged desiccation.


hname:
Submerged carpets of stoneworts in oligotrophic waterbodies

description:
Charophyte (genera [Chara], [Nitella], [Tolypella], [Nitellopsis], [Lamprothamnium], [Lychnothamnus]) algal carpets of the bottom of unpolluted, oligotrophic to mesotrophic lakes and pools. Very wide syntaxonomic background: alliances [Nitellion syncarpae-tenuissimae], [Charion fragilis], [Nitellion flexilis] and [Charion canescentis].


description:
Charophyte carpets developed on the bottom of basic, lime-rich, unpolluted, oligotrophic to mesotrophic, lakes and pools of the Palaearctic region, formed mostly by species of genus [Chara].


description:
Charophyte carpets developed on the bottom of unpolluted acid, neutral or slightly basic, lime-poor, oligotrophic to mesotrophic, lakes of the Palaearctic region, mostly formed by species of genus [Nitella].


hname:
Peatmoss and bladderwort communities of oligotrophic waterbodies

description:
Floating, in part infra-aquatic, formations of [Sphagnum] spp., [Scorpidium scorpioides], [Utricularia minor], [Utricularia intermedia], [Utricularia ochroleuca], [Utricularia bremii], [Sparganium minimum], of dystrophic, oligotrophic or sometimes mesotrophic, bog pools, fen pools, heath pools, woodland ponds of the Palaearctic region.


hname:
Plankton communities of oligotrophic waters

description:
Free-floating microscopic plant (phytoplankton) and animal (zooplankton) organisms of standing oligotrophic waters.


description:
Habitats of permanent oligotrophic waters in sand dunes, other than coastal dune-slack pools (B1.81).


hname:
Permanent mesotrophic lakes, ponds and pools

description:
Lakes and pools with waters fairly rich in nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and dissolved bases (pH often 6-7). Communities e.g. of [Littorelletea uniflorae] and [Isoeto-Nanojuncetea]. Many unpolluted lowland lakes and ponds are naturally mesotrophic, and support dense beds of macrophytes, which are absent in polluted waters. Beds of charophytes can occur in mesotrophic (C1.25) as well as in oligotrophic (C1.14) waters.


description:
Floating-leaved formations of Palaearctic waters dominated by magnonymphaeids of genus [Nymphoides], in particular by [Nymphoides peltata] or [Nymphoides indica].


description:
Floating-leaved formations of Palaearctic waters dominated by the parvonymphaeid [Potamogeton natans].


description:
Floating-leaved formations of Palaearctic waters dominated by [Polygonum amphibium].


description:
Formations of [Nelumbo nucifera], occurring in the Volga delta and from the south Caspian lowlands to the Far East, with a naturalised population in Romania.


hname:
Submerged carpets of stoneworts in mesotrophic waterbodies

description:
Charophyte (genera [Chara], [Nitella], [Tolypella], [Nitellopsis], [Lamprothamnium], [Lychnothamnus]) algal carpets of the bottom of unpolluted, oligotrophic to mesotrophic lakes and pools of the Palaearctic region.


hname:
Peatmoss and bladderwort communities of mesotrophic waterbodies


hname:
Plankton communities of mesotrophic standing waters

description:
Free-floating microscopic plant (phytoplankton) and animal (zooplankton) organisms of slightly muddy, poorly pellucid standing mesotrophic waters.


hname:
Permanent eutrophic lakes, ponds and pools

description:
Lakes and pools with mostly dirty grey to blue-green, more or less turbid, waters, particularly rich in nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and dissolved bases (pH usually > 7). Moderately eutrophic waters can support dense beds of macrophytes, but these disappear when pollution causes nutrient levels to rise further.


hname:
Benthic communities of eutrophic waterbodies

description:
Lake-bottom animal, green algal or lower algal communities of eutrophic waters. Because of the seasonal dynamics of the ecological factors, siliceous algae [Bacillariophyta] dominate in late autumn and winter and blue-green ([Cyanobacteriophyta]) and green ([Chlorophyta]) algae during summer and autumn.


hname:
Free-floating vegetation of eutrophic waterbodies

description:
Free-floating surface communities of more or less nutrient-rich waters, with for example [Lemna minor], [Spirodela polyrhiza], [Wolffia arrhiza], [Salvinia natans], [Ceratophyllum submersum], [Stratiotes aloides], and communities of [Hydrocharition], [Utricularion vulgaris], [Lemnion gibbae] and [Lemnion minoris].


hname:
Rooted submerged vegetation of eutrophic waterbodies

description:
Formations of water bodies constituted by submerged, rooted, perennial phanerogams with often emerging flower spikes, in particular entirely immersed pondweeds of genus [Potamogeton]. Alliances [Potamion lucentis] and [Potamion pusilli]. Other frequent species are [Myriophyllum spicatum], [Myriophyllum verticillatum], [Najas marina] and [Najas minor].


hname:
Rooted floating vegetation of eutrophic waterbodies

description:
Formations of waters dominated by rooted aquatic plants with floating leaves. The most typical species are [Nuphar lutea], [Nymphaea alba], [Nymphoides peltata], [Trapa natans] and [Persicaria amphibia], of the alliance [Nymphaeion albae]. A second layer is often formed by [Ceratophyllum demersum], [Myriophyllum spicatum] and [Lemna trisulca].


description:
Communities of Palaearctic waters dominated by water starworts ([Callitriche]), water crowfoots ([Ranunculus] spp., subgenus [Batrachium]) or water violet ([Hottonia palustris]), characteristic mostly of shallow waters with fluctuating water levels, susceptible to occasional drying.


hname:
Water crowfoot communities in shallow water

description:
Communities dominated by water crowfoots, [Ranunculus peltatus], [Ranunculus aquatilis], [Ranunculus trichophyllus] ([Ranunculus confervoides], [Ranunculus aquatilis var. diffusus]), [Ranunculus baudotii], [Ranunculus hederaceus], [Ranunculus rionii], [Ranunculus ololeucos], [Ranunculus omiophyllus] ([Ranunculus lenormandi]), [Ranunculus tripartitus], with both submerged and floating leaves, characteristic mostly of shallow Palaearctic waters with fluctuating water levels, susceptible to occasional drying. Crowfoot- dominated communities of unit C1.131are included.


description:
Communities of shallow stagnant Palaearctic waters with fluctuating water levels, susceptible to drying, dominated by [Callitriche] spp.


description:
Communities of shallow Palaearctic waters dominated by [Hottonia palustris].


hname:
Plankton communities of eutrophic standing waters

description:
Free-floating microscopic plant (phytoplankton) and animal (zooplankton) organisms of very muddy, non-pellucid waters of standing eutrophic waters. Phytoplankton is represented mainly by algae of the groups [Bacillariophyta] and [Chlorophyta], rarely also by [Euglenophyta], [Pyrrophyta], zooplankton by [Chrysophyta]; [Cladocera], [Copepoda] and [Rotatoria].


hname:
Permanent dystrophic lakes, ponds and pools

description:
Lakes and pools with acidic waters of high humus content and often brown tinted (pH often 3-5).


hname:
Benthic communities of dystrophic waterbodies


hname:
Rooted submerged vegetation of dystrophic waterbodies


hname:
Rooted floating vegetation of dystrophic waterbodies

description:
Formations of Palaearctic waters dominated by rooted aquatic plants with floating leaves.


hname:
Submerged carpets of stoneworts in dystrophic waterbodies


hname:
Peatmoss and bladderwort communities of dystrophic waterbodies

description:
Floating, in part infra-aquatic, formations of [Sphagnum] spp., [Scorpidium scorpioides], [Utricularia] spp., [Campylium stellatum], [Sparganium minimum] and [Sparganium natans] of dystrophic bog pools, fen pools, heath pools and woodland ponds. Alliances are [Sphagno-Utricularion] and [Scorpidio-Utricularion minoris].


description:
Larger, deep, permanently filled depressions, usually dystrophic, occurring near the centre of raised bogs or along tension lines.  Floating plant communities may sometimes develop, in particular those comprising [Sparganium minimum] and [Utricularia] spp. (units C1.15, C1.26 and C1.45) and, sometimes, beds of [Nymphaea] spp. (unit C1.2411).


description:
Large pools or lakes occurring near the centre of central European raised bogs, often with relatively firm, steep banks colonized by trees or scrub forming a ring of woodland.


description:
Relatively large, deep, permanently filled depressions occurring along tension lines of raised bogs.


description:
A ring of water surrounding raised bogs, often colonised by intermediate mire or acid fen communities of units D2.2 or D2.3, sometimes accompanied by more basicline species typical of neighbouring fens: [Eriophorum angustifolium], [Eriophorum vaginatum], [Scirpus hudsonianus], [Carex rostrata], [Carex flava] and [Parnassia palustris] are frequent components.


hname:
Permanent inland saline and brackish lakes, ponds and pools

description:
Non-coastal brackish, saline or hypersaline lakes, ponds or pools and their pelagic vertebrates and plankton.


description:
Athalassic (inland), permanent or temporary, brackish, saline or hypersaline waterbodies and their associated animal, charophyte, green algal or lower algal pelagic and benthic communities. The macrophytic, euhydrophytic based communities that colonize them are separately listed (unit C1.52), the macrophytic amphibious communities and the terrestrial communities that may develop during dry phases or in drying and dried portions as units of D6.1or E6, fringing belts or island rafts of rooted or floating tall emergent vegetation as units C3.2112 or D6.2.


hname:
Salt basins and salt basin pelagic communities

description:
Athalassic (inland) brackish, saline or hypersaline lakes, ponds or pools and their pelagic animal, green algal or lower algal communities, including marine mammal, bird and pelagic fish communities of the large inland seas of central Eurasia and of the big brackish lakes of the boreal zone.


description:
Athalassic (inland) brackish, saline or hypersaline lakes, ponds or pools of the boreal, nemoral and arctic zones, including, in particular, the great brackish lakes of northern Europe (Ladoga), the ponds and pools associated with the inland salt communities of unit D6.1 and the waterbodies adjacent to the Yakutian salt steppes of unit E6.2 .


description:
Athalassic (inland) brackish, saline or hypersaline lakes, ponds or pools of the Mediterranean zone, with major waterbodies limited to northern-central and southern Iberia, Sicily and Mediterranean North Africa.


description:
Athalassic (inland) brackish, saline or hypersaline lakes, ponds or pools of the Pannonic and Ponto-Sarmatic regions, associated with the salt steppes and salt marshes of E6.21 and E6.22.


hname:
Submerged carpets of stoneworts in inland saline or hypersaline waterbodies

description:
Charophyte (mostly [Chara] spp.) formations of athalassic brackish, saline or hypersaline lakes, ponds or pools.


description:
Benthic animal, green algal or lower algal communities of permanent athalassic brackish, saline or hypersaline lakes, ponds or pools; benthic communities developed in the wet phase of the cycle of temporary brackish, saline or hypersaline athalassic waterbodies.


description:
Communities of athalassic brackish or saline lakes, ponds, pools or basins, formed by submerged, floating-leaved, or slightly emergent macrophytes and their associated zoocoenoses.


hname:
Submerged macrophyte communities of inland saline and brackish waters

description:
Communities of athalassic (inland) brackish or saline lakes, ponds, pools or basins, formed by submerged macrophytes and their associated zoocoenoses.


description:
[Ruppia maritima], [Zannichellia] spp. and [Najas] spp. beds, with associated [Potamogeton pectinatus], [Potamogeton crispus] and other submerged macrophytes, of athalassic brackish or saline lakes, ponds, pools or basins.


description:
[Zostera noltii] formations of the Caspian Sea.


description:
Communities of brackish lakes, ponds and pools, formed by free-floating or floating-leaved rooted macrophytes, in particular, brackish [Lemna] and [Wolffia] carpets, brackish [Callitriche] communities and formations of inland lakes and basins of very low salinity dominated by water crowfoots such as [Ranunculus baudotii] or [Ranunculus rionii].


hname:
Floating vegetation of saline and brackish waters

description:
Rooted or non-rooted floating vegetation of saline waters dominated by aquatic vascular plants (macrophytes) whose leaves float on the water surface. The most important of these are represented by the species of genus [Lemna], [Wolffia], [Callitriche] and [Ranunculus] sect. [Batrachium].


hname:
Submerged macrophytes of saline and brackish waters

description:
Habitats of saline pools and waters where the bottom is densely vegetated. Typical species are [Najas marina], [Najas minor], [Potamogeton pectinatus], [Ranunculus trichophyllus], [Utricularia neglecta], [Zannichellia pedicellata] among others.


description:
Freshwater lakes, ponds, pools, or parts of such freshwater bodies that become periodically dry, with their associated animal and algal pelagic and benthic communities. Habitats of the dry phase are listed under C3.5, C3.6 and 3.7.


description:
Temporary lakes and pools with greenish to brownish clear waters, poor in dissolved bases (pH often 5-6).


description:
Temporary lakes and pools with waters fairly rich in dissolved bases (pH often 6-7).


description:
Temporary lakes and pools with mostly dirty grey to blue-green, more or less turbid, waters, particularly rich in dissolved bases (pH usually > 7).


description:
Temporary lakes and pools with acidic waters of high humus content and often brown tinted (pH often 3-5).


description:
Temporary lakes and pools with mostly blue to greenish, very clear, waters, poor (to moderate) in nutrients, base-rich (pH often > 7.5).


hname:
Temporary inland saline and brackish waters

description:
Shallow temporary saline and brackish waters, in which communities may develop which often form two layers. The main species are [Ranunculus trichophyllus], [Najas minor], [Najas marina] and [Ceratophyllum demersum].


description:
Terrestrial communities colonizing the bottom of waterbodies that are completely and recurrently emptied of water for part of the time, such as Irish turloughs. Habitats characteristic of each stage of the cycle may be units of C1, C3.41-C3.43, C3.51-C3.52, C3.64-C3.65 and, if appropriate, those of units D2-D5 or E2-E3.


description:
Benthic communities developed in the wet phase of the cycle of temporary lakes and pools.


hname:
Rooted floating vegetation of temporary waterbodies


description:
Permanent or almost permanent ice formations of lakes, constituting continuous ice sheets that may cover the entire surface for all of the year or recede to part of the lake during summer and be accompanied or replaced by floating ice blocks, rafts and hummocks. They may, locally, seasonally or permanently, extend to the whole depth of the lake. They are characteristic of high latitude and high altitude lakes.


description:
Running waters, including springs, streams and temporary water courses.


description:
Springs and resurgences, together with animal and plant communities dependent on the peculiar microclimatic and hydrological situation created by them. Excludes vegetated spring mires (D2.2, D4.1), where springs emerge through a (usually small) expanse of vegetation with little or no open water.


description:
Springs with cold, acid to neutral, oligotrophic waters, dominated either by mosses or vascular plants, depending on light conditions and altitude. Species-poor communities, especially in lower altitudes. Alliance [Caricion remotae] including several associations, with characteristic species [Caltha palustris ssp. laeta], [Cardamine amara ssp. amara], [Carex remota], [Chrysosplenium alternifolium], [Veronica beccabunga], [Bryum pseudotriquetrum] and [Conocephalum conicum].


hname:
Fennoscandian mineral-rich springs and springfens

description:
Springs and springfens are characterized by continuous flow of groundwater. The water is cold, of even temperature, and rich in oxygen and minerals, due to the rapid percolation. Springs may have a basin where the water wells up and an adjacent outflow with typical vegetation. In springfens the water seeps up through the ground and the accumulated peat, enhancing the growth of specialised vegetation. Since the water originates from deeper layers, these springs often have running water during the winter even if the surrounding areas are frozen and snow-covered. The invertebrate fauna is often very specialised to this habitat and the flora rich in northern species. Vascular plants include [Cardamine amara, Chrysosplenium spp., Carex appropinquata, C. capillaris, C. paniculata, Epilobium hornemanni, E. davuricum, E. laestadii, E. alsinifolium, Montia fontana, Poa alpigena, P. remota, P. trivialis, Ranunculus lapponicus, R. hyperboreus, Stellaria alsine, S. calycantha, S. nemorum]. Bryophytes- [Brachythecium rivulare, Bryum weigelii, B. pseudotriquetrum, B. schleicheri, Calliergon giganteum, C. sarmentosum, Philonotis spp., Pohlia wahlenbergii, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium spp., Scapania spp., Warnstorfia exannulata].


hname:
Acid oligotrophic vegetation of fast-flowing streams


hname:
Lime-rich oligotrophic vegetation of fast-flowing streams


hname:
Mesotrophic vegetation of fast-flowing streams


hname:
Eutrophic vegetation of fast-flowing streams


description:
Permanent water courses with non-turbulent water and their associated animal and microscopic algal pelagic and benthic communities. Slow-flowing rivers, streams, brooks, rivulets and rills; also fast-flowing rivers with laminar flow. The bed is typically composed of sand or mud. Features of the river bed, uncovered by low water or permanently emerging, such as sand or mud islands and bars are treated as the littoral zone (C3). Includes mid and low-altitude streams as defined by the Water Framework Directive.


description:
Upper reaches of lowland streams, characterised by calmer flow, higher annual temperature variation and aquatic biocoenoses comprising more standing water species, among them emergent macrophytes (units C2.33-C2.34). The unit corresponds to the "Barbel zone" of western European ichthyological classifications.


description:
Middle and lower reaches of Palaearctic lowland streams ("Niederungsbach", "lowland" and "plain" streams), with aquatic biocoenoses very similar to those of standing water. The unit corresponds to the "Bream zone" of western European ichthyological classifications.


hname:
Mesotrophic vegetation of slow-flowing rivers


hname:
Eutrophic vegetation of slow-flowing rivers


description:
Portions of rivers subject to the tide, upstream from the estuary.


description:
Brackish portions of rivers subject to the tide, upstream from the estuary.


description:
Freshwater sections of rivers subject to the tide.


description:
Watercourses that cease to flow for part of the year, leaving a dry bed or pools. Habitats of the dry phase are treated under C3.5, C3.6 and C3.7. Vegetation communities may be of [Paspalo-Agrostidion], [Parvopotamion] or [Sparganio-Glycerion fluitantis].


hname:
Films of water flowing over rocky watercourse margins

description:
Flowing water that is not contained within a channel but oozes over rocks.


hname:
Littoral zone of inland surface waterbodies

description:
Reedbeds and other water-fringing vegetation by lakes, rivers and streams; exposed bottoms of dried up rivers and lakes; rocks, gravel, sand and mud beside or in the bed of rivers and lakes.


description:
Water-fringing stands of vegetation by lakes, rivers and streams, with mixed species composition.


hname:
Beds of small helophytes of fast-flowing waters

description:
Formations of small helophytes, [Glyceria fluitans], [Glyceria plicata], [Glyceria nemoralis], [Glyceria declinata], [Leersia oryzoides], [Catabrosa aquatica], [Sparganium neglectum], [Sparganium microcarpum], [Nasturtium officinale], [Nasturtium microphyllum], [Veronica beccabunga], [Veronica anagallis-aquatica], [Apium nodiflorum], [Sium erectum] and [Apium repens], occupying the banks of small rivers, brooks, brooklets or springs on alluvial or peaty soils from the Euro-Siberian region, through the Mediterranean basin, to desert oases. Vegetation is typically from alliance [Glycerio-Sparganion].


hname:
Water-fringing reedbeds and tall helophytes other than canes

description:
Water-fringing stands of tall vegetation by lakes (including brackish lakes), rivers and brooks, usually species-poor and often dominated by one species. Includes stands of [Carex] spp., [Cladium mariscus], [Equisetum fluviatile], [Glyceria maxima], [Hippuris vulgaris], [Phragmites australis], [Sagittaria sagittifolia], [Schoenoplectus] spp., [Sparganium] spp. and [Typha] spp. Excludes terrestrialized reed and sedge beds which are not at the water's edge (D5.1, D5.2).


description:
Communities of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, inland seas and sea inlets, rivers and brooks, eutrophic marshes and swamps dominated by [Phragmites australis].


description:
[Phragmites australis] beds of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, inland seas and sea inlets, rivers and brooks inundated permanently or for prolonged annual periods.


description:
[Phragmites australis] beds of the Palaearctic region permanently or usually inundated by fresh water lakes, ponds and watercourses.


description:
[Phragmites australis] beds of the Palaearctic region beds permanently, usually or frequently inundated by the sea or by saline coastal lagoons, by athalassal saline lakes, by saline estuaries or saline rivers.


description:
Communities of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, rivers and brooks dominated by [Scirpus lacustris], intolerant of drying, tolerant of water circulation, and thus forming the outer belts of reedbeds.


description:
Communities of the margins of lakes, rivers and brooks dominated by [Typha latifolia], [Typha angustifolia], [Typha domingensis], [Typha laxmannii], [Typha elephantina] formations, usually extremely species-poor and sometimes almost pure, tolerant of extended periods of dryness, varying conditions of salinity, and of pollution. Although [Typha] species are dominant, other common species such as [Acorus calamus], [Equisetum fluviatile], [Phragmites australis], [Glyceria maxima] and [Schoenoplectus lacustris] and alliance [Phragmition communis] may also occur.


description:
Communities of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, rivers and brooks dominated by [Typha latifolia], of widespread occurrence.


description:
Communities of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, rivers and brooks dominated by [Typha angustifolia], like unit C3.231, of wide distribution.


description:
Communities of the margins of shallow lakes, rivers and brooks dominated by shorter, mostly non-graminoid helophytes emerging from mesotrophic or eutrophic, stagnant or slow-moving, shallow water, and constituting fringes or patches within or alongside reedbeds. Habitat structure is determined by one or two dominant species, e.g. [Alisma] spp., [Oenanthe aquatica], [Rorippa amphibia], [Sparganium] spp., [Sagittaria sagittifolia], [Equisetum fluviatile], [Acorus calamus] and [Hippuris vulgaris] (see subdivisions).


description:
Formations of [Sagittaria sagittifolia] and [Sparganium emersum] of slowly flowing, and sometimes standing, meso-eutrophic waters of western Eurasia; formations of [Sagittaria sagittifolia], [Sagittaria natans] and [Caltha membranacea] of similar eastern Asian waterbodies.


description:
Communities of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, rivers and brooks dominated by [Sparganium neglectum], characteristic of standing or slowly flowing waters on mineral-rich, lime-poor muddy substrates.


description:
Communities of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, rivers and brooks dominated by or rich in [Sparganium erectum], characteristic of riparian reedbeds along standing waters on lime-rich, mineral-rich muddy substrates.


description:
Very tall thickets of [Arundo donax] lining water courses of the Middle East and Central Asia; similar formations of the Mediterranean basin, where the species is an old introduction, are included.


hname:
Species-poor beds of low-growing water-fringing or amphibious vegetation

description:
Includes isoetids of the shores of oligotrophic lakes, [Nasturtium aquaticum] by streams, mediterranean dwarf [Scirpus] swards, and other species-poor but dissimilar types of vegetation.


description:
Carpets of perennial vegetation submerged for a considerable part of the year in oligotrophic or mesotrophic lakes, ponds and pools of the boreal and nemoral zones of the Palaearctic and of mountains of the southern Palaearctic.


hname:
Shoreweed lawns, lobelia ponds, quillwort swards

description:
[Littorella uniflora], [Lobelia dortmanna] and [Isoetes] spp. formations of oligotrophic waters of the boreal and nemoral zones of the Palaearctic and of mountains of the southern Palaearctic.


description:
Dense, almost monospecific [Littorella uniflora] lawns of lake shores subject to great annual variations of the water level and long emergence, and other [Littorella]-dominated associations.


description:
[Lobelia dortmanna] colonies of shallow oligotrophic, moderately acid ponds.


description:
Clear-water quillwort swards formed by the northern European and montane [Isoetes lacustris] and [Isoetes echinospora] or by the very local endemics [Isoetes tenuissima] of central western France and [Isoetes brochonii] of the eastern Pyrenees. Associated species may include [Lobelia dortmanna], [Sparganium angustifolium], [Littorella uniflora], [Hippuris vulgaris].


description:
[Sparganium angustifolium]-dominated formations of small oligotrophic ponds, characteristic, in particular, of the upper montane and subalpine levels of the Alps and of the greater Hercynian ranges, locally recorded from sub-Atlantic heath regions of the Germano-Baltic plain, also capable of occurring, within the extensive Fennoscandian range of the species, and in coastal areas of Iceland, as a facies of the [Isoetes] communities of unit C3.4111.


description:
Amphibious communities dominated by [Ranunculus reptans] and [Subularia aquatica] colonizing, sometimes on large surfaces, the bottom of water bodies of Fennoscandia, Iceland and the Faeroe Islands, mostly in situations characterized by relatively large fluctuations of the water level.


description:
Oligotrophic pool and pool fringe communities of the northern Palaearctic dominated by [Myriophyllum alterniflorum], characteristic of weakly acid clear waters on limestone-free substrates, sometimes with [Ranunculus reptans], [Littorella uniflora].


description:
[Eleocharis acicularis] beds of the Palaearctic, characteristic of more organic soils and mesotrophic waters than the communities of unit C3.411.


description:
[Eleocharis multicaulis], [Scirpus fluitans], [Juncus bulbosus], [Hypericum elodes], [Pilularia globulifera], [Deschampsia setacea], [Ranunculus flammula], [Littorella uniflora] communities of shallow acid pools of the Palaearctic and their margins susceptible to short periods of emersion.


description:
Oligotrophic pool fringe communities of the western Palaearctic dominated by [Eleocharis multicaulis], [Deschampsia setacea].


description:
Communities of humid sands and pool fringes in oligotrophic dunes of the Atlantic, the North Sea and the southern Baltic, with [Samolus valerandi] and [Littorella uniflora].


description:
Oligotrophic pool fringe communities of western and central Europe, north to Denmark and southern Fennoscandia, east to Poland, the Czech Republic and the Balkan peninsula, dominated by the fern [Pilularia globulifera].


description:
Oligotrophic pool fringe communities of sub-Atlantic Europe dominated by [Juncus bulbosus], often accompanied by [Ranunculus flammula], [Agrostis canina], [Glyceria fluitans].


description:
Pool fringe communities dominated by [Scirpus fluitans] ([Eleogiton fluitans], [Isolepis fluitans]), characteristic of mesotrophic to dystrophic heath pools on sands or muds, particularly within the [Quercion] domaine, with periods of drying usually short, sometimes permanently inundated.


description:
Pool fringe communities of western and central Europe dominated by [Apium inundatum], characteristic of oligotrophic to mesotrophic fluctuating pools, in particular, dune slack pools and forest pools.


description:
Communities of the shores of shallow oligotrophic pools of the Atlantic domaine of Europe susceptible to prolonged summer desiccation, usually developed on peaty or parapeaty soils, dominated by, or rich in [Baldellia ranunculoides], with [Hydrocotyle vulgaris], [Hypericum helodes]. They are recorded, in particular, from the Paris Basin, Normandy, the New Forest, Cornwall, southern Scandinavia, and, on the shores of of limestone pools, in the Burren of western Ireland.


description:
[Deschampsia littoralis] agg. formations of peri-Alpine lakes.


description:
Perennial and annual communities of mediterranean, thermo-Atlantic and Macaronesian temporary ponds, river banks and spring sides. Vegetation mainly from the class [Isoeto-Nanojuncetea].


description:
Formations of Mediterranean, thermo-Atlantic and Macaronesian entirely or partially summer-dry ponds, pools and ditches with [Isoetes] spp., [Marsilea quadrifolia], [Marsilea strigosa], [Pilularia globulifera], [Pilularia minuta], [Mentha pulegium], [Lythrum hyssopifolia] s.l., [Trifolium filiforme], [Peplis erecta], [Teucrium cravense], [Serapias lingua], [Juncus bufonius], [Juncus capitatus], [Juncus pygmaeus], [Juncus fasciculatus], [Scirpus savii], sometimes (rocky edges of fast rivulets), [Spiranthes aestivalis] and [Anagallis tenella].


description:
[Isoetes histrix], [Isoetes durieui] formations of Mediterranean ephemeral waters.


description:
Communities formed by [Isoetes boryana], [Isoetes delilei], [Isoetes heldreichii], [Isoetes velata], [Isoetes azorica] or [Isoetes malinverniana] in fluctuating waterbodies.


description:
Communities colonizing gravel deposits of Palaearctic rivers with a Mediterranean, summer-low, flow regime, with, in particular, [Myricaria germanica], [Erucastrum nasturtiifolium], [Glaucium flavum], [Oenothera biennis].


hname:
Northern lowland river gravel communities

description:
Communities, less specialised than those of high mountain, boreo-arctic and Mediterranean watercourses, colonizing river gravels of lowland and hill rivers of the Palaearctic nemoral, boreonemoral and adjacent zones. Precise formations can be indicated by use of codes from unit E, in particular unit E5.4, and from unit G1.


hname:
Unvegetated or sparsely vegetated shores with soft or mobile sediments

description:
Banks of sand, gravel and mud in or by rivers. Gravel by mountain streams. Mud bottoms of dried-up rivers and lakes, including saline lakes. Exposed sand, gravel and mud at the edge of lakes.


description:
Unvegetated sand deposits of streams, occupying the edges of the stream, forming islands in the channel or supporting the arms and rivulets constituting the stream, together with their associated animal communities.


description:
Unvegetated deposit beds of streams formed of pebbles, gravels, boulders or a mixture of gravels and finer sediments, occupying the edges of the stream, forming islands in the channel or supporting the arms and rivulets constituting the stream, together with their associated animal communities. Corresponding habitats with pioneer or ephemeral vascular vegetation are included in unit C3.55 and their succession leads to willow woodland (G1.11).


description:
Unvegetated silt or mud deposits of streams occupying the edges of the stream, forming islands in the channel or supporting the arms and rivulets constituting the stream, together with their associated animal communities. Later in the succession they are vegetated by species of [Bidens] and [Polygonum] (C3.52, C3.53) or wetland vegetation of unit C3.2 may be established.


hname:
Exposed unvegetated freshwater lake sands and shingles

description:
Unvegetated lake-bottoms or lake-shores temporarily exposed by artificial or natural fluctuations of the water level, often important as feeding grounds for migrating waders. Unvegetated lacustrine beaches, formed by wind or wave action. Succession usually leads to habitats of periodically inundated shores with pioneer and ephemeral vegetation (C3.5).


hname:
Exposed unvegetated freshwater lake muds

description:
Unvegetated lake-bottoms or lake-shores temporarily exposed by artificial or natural fluctuations of the water level, often important as feeding grounds for migrating waders. Unvegetated lacustrine beaches, formed by wind or wave action.


hname:
Exposed unvegetated beaches of inland saline and brackish waters with soft sediments

description:
Unvegetated bottoms or shores of athalassic saline water bodies temporarily exposed by artificial or natural fluctuations of the water level, often covered with salt efflorescences.


hname:
Unvegetated or sparsely vegetated shores with non-mobile substrates

description:
Periodically exposed rocks, pavements and blocks beside rivers and lakes, and in the draw-down zone of reservoirs.


hname:
Periodically exposed river-bed rocks, pavements and blocks

description:
Hard rock features permanently emerging from, or temporarily uncovered by, Palaearctic water courses.


hname:
Periodically exposed lake-bed rocks, pavements and blocks

description:
Hard rock features permanently emerging from, or temporarily uncovered by, Palaearctic lakes. Rocks are either without vegetation or very sparsely vegetated.


hname:
Draw-down zones of reservoirs with non-mobile substrates

description:
Temporarily exposed rocky or stony margins of reservoirs. Ephemeral vegetation or temporary animal communities depend on the regime and dynamics of the water level in the reservoir.


hname:
Inland spray- and steam-dependent habitats

description:
Spray-washed margins of pools below waterfalls. Steamy margins of geysers and hot springs.


description:
Wetlands, with the water table at or above ground level for at least half of the year, dominated by herbaceous or ericoid vegetation. Includes inland saltmarshes and waterlogged habitats where the groundwater is frozen. Excludes the water body and rock structure of springs (C2.1) and waterlogged habitats dominated by trees or large shrubs (F9.2, G1.4, G1.5, G3.D, G3.E). Note that habitats that intimately combine waterlogged mires and vegetation rafts with pools of open water are considered as complexes.


description:
Lawns of Palaearctic bogs dominated by [Eriophorum vaginatum] associated with [Sphagnum recurvum], often highly prevalent in moderately wet bogs of nemoral Central Europe and Hercynian Western Europe. In boreal Europe, [Sphagnum recurvum] communities are mostly limited to fens.


description:
Lawns of Palaearctic bogs dominated by [Eriophorum vaginatum] associated with [Sphagnum fuscum] characteristic of subcontinental Fennoscandia, from eastern Sweden eastwards, of the eastern Baltic bog province of western Russia, of the Eastern Carpathians, of western Siberia.


description:
Lawns of Palaearctic bogs dominated by [Eriophorum vaginatum] associated with [Sphagnum rubellum] ([Sphagnum capillifolium var. rubellum]) characteristic of relatively maritime climates, recorded, in particular, from southeastern Norway, western Sweden and the Danish archipelago, where [Sphagnum balticum] is a frequent accompanier, and from the Central Massif of France, where [Sphagnum magellanicum] is an associate.


description:
Lawns of Palaearctic bogs dominated by [Eriophorum vaginatum] associated with [Sphagnum balticum] characteristic of bogs of the nemoral region, in particular, of large areas of Sweden, of Finland, the Baltic States, Russia, western Siberia. Accompaniers include [Scirpus cespitosus], [Eriophorum russeolum], [Sphagnum rubellum], [Sphagnum tenellum], [Sphagnum lindbergii].


description:
Lawns of Palaearctic bogs dominated by [Eriophorum vaginatum] associated with [Sphagnum angustifolium] characteristic of northeastern Europe and eastern Fennoscandia, mostly distributed in northern Karelia, the Lake and Bothnian gulf regions of Finland, rare in Sweden.


description:
Lawns of Palaearctic bogs dominated by [Eriophorum vaginatum] associated with [Sphagnum magellanicum] and [Sphagnum rubellum], sometimes accompanied by [Sphagnum tenellum], [Sphagnum angustifolium], [Sphagnum papillosum], [Sphagnum recurvum], [Sphagnum fuscum] or [Sphagnum warnstorfii], characteristic, in particular, of the British Isles, southern Scandinavia, in Denmark, Norway and southern Sweden, of the northern and southern Alpine piedmont, of the Eastern Carpathians.


description:
Dwarf shrub communities, mostly ericaceous, forming on the top of drying hummocks of bogs of the nemoral, boreonemoral, lowland boreal and low montane boreal regions of the Palaearctic, often with the moss [Polytrichum strictum], sometimes colonizing sphagnum hummocks forming in fens of the same regions.


description:
[Calluna vulgaris]-dominated shrub hummocks, widespread in the nemoral and boreal zones of the western Palaearctic region, east to the Carpathians and western Siberia, south to the Alpine piedmont and the Pyrenees, most characteristic of Central European and sub-Atlantic Scandinavian bogs, in which [Calluna vulgaris] is often the only dominant hummock shrub.


description:
[Erica tetralix]-dominated communities characteristic of the shrub hummocks of Atlantic bogs.


description:
Shrub hummocks of lowland or low montane Northern Europe, of Western Europe, of lowland Central Europe, the Baltic region, the Hercynian ranges, the Alps, the Northern Carpathians dominated by [Empetrum nigrum] or, in boreal regions, in mountains and in eastern Central Europe, [Empetrum hermaphroditum], characteristic of suboceanic climates, of drier, taller hummocks or of slightly more mineral-influenced bogs of Europe.


description:
Shrub hummocks of Atlantic and sub-Atlantic lowland or low montane boreal Europe, of the European Hercynian ranges, the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Carpathians, and their periphery, dominated by ericoid shrubs of genus [Vaccinium], mostly [Vaccinium uliginosum], also [Vaccinium vitis-idaea] or [Vaccinium myrtillus], locally, in particular, in Scandinavia and the Alps, associated with [Betula nana].


description:
Shrub hummocks of boreonemoral, sub-boreal, lowland boreal and low montane boreal regions of the Palaearctic dominated by [Ledum palustre], most characteristic of subcontinental regions of the southeastern Baltic hinterland, from eastern Germany, Poland, the Baltic States to boreonemoral Russia, and of the southern boreal Far East of Kamchatcka and northern Sakhalin, often marking tall hummocks.


description:
Shrub hummocks dominated by [Myrica gale], of local occurrence in nemoral Atlantic bogs, or by [Myrica tomentosa] in the southern boreal Pacific Far East.


description:
Dwarf shrub hummock communities of nemoral Europe and of the lowland and hill bogs of boreal Europe, west to Fennoscandia and the Baltic States, dominated by, or rich in, [Betula nana]. In nemoral Europe they are limited to isolated enclaves on hills of the Germano-Baltic plains and to rare stations within the greater Hercynian ranges and the Alps, where they represent relict outposts of the communities of unit D1.114, with which they share, in particular, besides [Betula nana], [Vaccinium microcarpum], [Rubus chamaemorus], [Chamaedaphne calyculata].


description:
Dwarf shrub hummock communities of subcontinental and continental, lowland or low montane boreal and boreonemoral Europe dominated by, or rich in, [Rubus chamaemorus], associated with [Calluna vulgaris] or with [Empetrum hermaphroditum], [Ledum palustre], [Chamaedaphne calyculata], characteristic, in particular, of eastern Fennoscandia, the southeastern and eastern Baltic regions, Russia, with outposts in the eastern Hercynian ranges, in the Giant Mountains.


description:
Shrub hummocks dominated by [Chamaedaphne calyculata], main shrub hummock type of the continental parts of the boreal and boreonemoral Palaearctic, in European Russia, Siberia, the Russian Far East, with outposts in Baltic regions and the eastern Hercynian ranges.


description:
[Scirpus cespitosus]-dominated bogs or parts of bogs, mostly characteristic of the subalpine level of Hercynian, pre-Alpine and Alpine ranges.


description:
Bogs or parts of bogs dominated by [Erica tetralix] and [Sphagnum papillosum], characteristic of raised bog systems of Atlantic regions, particularly the British Isles, the low countries, northwestern Germany.


hname:
Raised bog species-poor cottonsedge communities

description:
Bogs or parts of bogs overwhelmingly dominated by [Eriophorum vaginatum], with a strongly impoverished species cortège, in particular, with very few sphagna, characteristic of degraded and, in particular, grazed, bog systems of Atlantic regions, notably of the Pennines.


description:
Temporarily or permanently rainwater-filled depressions of bogs, occupied by communities similar to those of larger intermediate mires of units D2.25 or D2.3H.


description:
Constantly submerged hollows carpeted by floating or bottom-hugging mats of often bright green sphagna, in particular, [Sphagnum cuspidatum], [Sphagnum recurvum], [Sphagnum majus] ([Sphagnum dusenii]), [Sphagnum balticum], sometimes accompanied by bryopsid mosses, in particular, [Drepanocladus fluitans], [Lophozia inflata], and with a vascular cortège that may typically be dominated by [Rhynchospora alba], [Scheuchzeria palustris], [Eriophorum vaginatum], [Eriophorum angustifolium], [Menyanthes trifoliata] or [Carex limosa], and include [Carex paupercula], [Carex pauciflora], [Vaccinium oxycoccos], [Drosera rotundifolia], [Andromeda polifolia].


description:
Temporarily inundated shallow hollows, usually dominated by an often sparse cover of [Rhynchospora alba], with [Rhynchospora fusca], [Scheuchzeria palustris], [Drosera intermedia], [Lycopodiella inundata], sometimes dominated by [Eriophorum angustifolium] or [Eriophorum vaginatum], with a ground cover almost devoid of sphagna and often reduced to algae, in particular, the conjugate [Zygogonium ericetorum].


hname:
Deergrass boreoalpine [Sphagnum lindbergii] mires

description:
Mire communities of boreal regions of the Palaearctic domaine, in particular of the subalpine and lower alpine levels of Fennoscandian mountains, with a sphagnum ground layer dominated by [Sphagnum lindbergii] and a field layer dominated by [Scirpus cespitosus], occupying sites within a wide nutrient range, the deergrass being especially abundant in rich fen situations. Accompanying species that may occur with varying frequency include sedges, [Carex limosa], [Carex pauciflora], [Carex rariflora], [Carex rotundata], [Eriophorum vaginatum], which may dominate or codominate, and dicots, [Andromeda polifolia], [Betula nana], [Drosera rotundifolia], [Empetrum hermaphroditum], [Rubus chamaemorus], [Vaccinium microcarpum]; the bryophyte cortège includes [Caliergon stramineum], [Drepanocladus badius], [Drepanocladus exannulatus], [Sphagnum compactum], [Sphagnum tenellum].


description:
[Carex dacica] ([Carex nigra ssp. dacica]) acidic fens of the northwestern Caucasus, with [Primula auriculata].


description:
Spring mires of acid or neutral, oligotrophic to eutrophic non-calcareous springs. The specialised spring communities belong to the various associations of the [Montio-Cardaminetea]. The associated swamp communities belong to the [Caricetalia fuscae] and may be found in unit D2.22. The hydrophilous mosses [Bryum schleicheri], [Philonotis fontana], [Pellia epiphylla], [Brachythecium rivulare] and vascular plants [Cardamine amara], [Cardamine acris], [Rumex balcanicus], [Saxifraga stellaris], [Montia rivularis] among others are the dominant species.


description:
Spring communities of lime-poor waters of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by bryophytes, mostly characteristic of northern upland and high montane, alpine or subalpine levels, also locally of well-lit lowland sites.


description:
Spring communities of montane, sometimes collinar, lowland or subalpine, well-lit, lime-poor waters of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by mosses, in particular, [Philonotis fontana], with [Epilobium nutans], [Epilobium obscurum], [Epilobium palustre], [Epilobium parviflorum], [Montia fontana], [Stellaria alsine], [Galium uliginosum], [Ranunculus repens], [Veronica beccabunga], [Equisetum fluviatile].


description:
Bryophyte dominated spring communities of alpine, subalpine, boreoalpine, arctoalpine, and sometimes upland, well-lit, lime-poor cold waters of the northern Palaearctic mountains and hills, of the Alpine system and of the great Hercynian ranges, mostly dominated by [Philonotis seriata], [Bryum schleicheri] or, in the north and west, [Philonotis fontana], with a vascular species cortège marked by arcto-alpine species, among which [Saxifraga stellaris] is usually prominent. Somewhat intermediate between the communities of unit D2.2C11 and those of units D2.2C13 and D2.2C14, they extend to relatively low upland regions in northern Europe, in the British isles, and, as glacial relicts, in the Hercynian ranges and their periphery.


description:
Bryophyte dominated spring communities of alpine, subalpine, boreoalpine or arctoalpine, well-lit, lime-poor cold waters of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by light green mosses of genus [Pohlia], in particular, [Pohlia wahlenbergii] ([Mniobryum albicans]), [Pohlia ludwigii], with a sparse, arctoalpine vascular species cortège.


description:
Bryophyte dominated spring communities of alpine, subalpine, boreoalpine or arctoalpine, sometimes montane, well-lit, lime-poor cold waters of the Palaearctic domaine, dominated by leafy hepatics of genera [Scapania], [Marsupella], [Jungermannia], [Nardia], with a vascular species cortège rich in arctoalpine species, characteristic of the higher altitudes of the Alpine system, of neighbouring high ranges and of northern mountains, descending locally to lower altitudes, in particular, in Hercynian regions and in northern Europe.


description:
Spring communities of Atlantic montane or collinar well-lit, lime-poor, cold waters of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by [Anthelia julacea].


description:
Bryophyte-rich communities of lime-poor cold springs of the subalpine and alpine zones of boreoalpine and arctoalpine mountains of Fennoscandia and of Iceland, characterized by a greater abundance of tall herbs than in the communities of units D2.2C12 to D2.2C15, in particular, of units D2.2C12 and D2.2C13, to which they are closely related, with a resulting lesser prominence of the moss carpet, dominated by [Pohlia wahlenbergii ssp. glacialis] ([Pohlia albicans f. glacialis]) or [Philonotis fontana]. The communities of this unit may grade into [Potentilla crantzii]-[Bistorta vivipara] communities of unit E4.126 and moist [Dryas] heaths of unit F2.293.


description:
Bryophyte and encrusting lichen communities of lime-poor, often intermittent, springs of the high-alpine level of Palaearctic mountains of the Alpine system, formed by the lichen [Dermatocarpon rivulorum] and the mosses [Brachythecium glaciale], [Schistidium rivulare].


description:
Bryophyte and small herb communities of shallow depressions filled by thaw water in permafrost areas, in particular, of Spitzbergen, constituted by the mosses [Calliergon sarmentosum], [Drepanocladus exannulatus], [Drepanocladus uncinatus], [Aulacomnium palustre], [Philonotis tomentella], [Bryum pallens], [Oncophorus wahlenbergii], and by [Ranunculus hyperboreus], [Ranunculus sulphureus], [Saxifraga foliolosa], [Saxifraga rivularis], [Saxifraga cernua], [Cardamine nymanii], [Phippsia algida], [Alopecurus alpinus], [Luzula confusa], [Equisetum boreale].


description:
Spring communities of mostly collinar and montane, shaded waters poor in lime of the Palaearctic domaine, with [Ranunculus hederaceus], [Cardamine amara], [Cardamine flexuosa], [Cardamine raphanifolia], [Chrysosplenium oppositifolium], [Chrysosplenium alternifolium], [Saxifraga clusii ssp. lepismigena], ranging southwest to the Cordillera Cantabrica.


hname:
Oro-Mediterranean soft water spring mires

description:
Soft water spring and rivulet communities of the high altitudes of the mountains of the southern Palaearctic.


description:
Incompletely terrestrialized wetlands occupied by peat-forming vegetation with acid groundwater or (for vegetation rafts) acid underlying pool or lake water. Characteristic species are [Calla palustris], [Carex chordorrhiza], [Carex diandra], [Carex heleonastes], [Carex lasiocarpa], [Carex limosa], [Carex rostrata], [Menyanthes trifoliata], [Potentilla palustris], [Rhynchospora alba], [Scheuchzeria palustris]. Included are rafts of [Sphagnum] and [Eriophorum] (D2.38) and quaking rafts of [Molinia caerulea] (D2.3D). Excluded are stands of vegetation fringing water bodies (C3.2) unless the vegetation raft is sufficiently extensive to count as a habitat in its own right.


description:
Transition mire communities of boreal and western nemoral regions dominated by the medium sized [Carex lasiocarpa], associated with either sphagna or pleurocarps and often accompanied by [Eriophorum gracile], [Menyanthes trifoliata], usually forming floating meadows. Vegetation of alliance [Caricetum lasiocarpae].


description:
Basicline quaking mires and floating mats of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by [Carex lasiocarpa] associated with [Scorpidium scorpioides] and other pleurocarps, and with charophytes. Among characteristic accompanying species are [Pedicularis palustris] and [Liparis loeselii].


description:
Acidocline quaking mires and floating mats of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by [Carex lasiocarpa] associated with sphagna ([Sphagnum angustifolium], [Sphagnum recurvum], [Sphagnum lindbergii], [Sphagnum pulchrum], [Sphagnum balticum], [Sphagnum dusenii], [Sphagnum magellanicum], [Sphagnum papillosum], [Sphagnum subsecundum], [Sphagnum riparium], [Sphagnum subnitens], [Sphagnum cuspidatum], [Sphagnum flexuosum], [Sphagnum fimbriatum], [Sphagnum palustre], [Sphagnum auriculatum]) and [Polytrichum commune]. Characteristic accompanying species include [Carex rostrata], [Carex nigra], [Carex panicea], [Equisetum fluviatile], [Narthecium ossifragum], [Dactylorhiza sphagnicola], [Comarum palustre], [Vaccinium oxycoccos].


description:
Mesotrophic quaking mires and floating mats of the Palaearctic domaine, mostly characteristic of the boreal region, dominated by [Carex lasiocarpa] associated with sphagna and brown mosses, in particular with the mesotrophic species [Sphagnum subsecundum], [Sphagnum contortum], [Drepanocladus revolvens].


hname:
Lesser tussock sedge ([Carex diandra]) quaking mires

description:
Transition mire communities of boreal and western nemoral regions of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by [Carex diandra] in association with [Carex lasiocarpa], [Carex appropinquata], [Carex limosa], [Carex lepidocarpa], [Eriophorum gracile], [Eriophorum angustifolium], [Menyanthes trifoliata], [Comarum palustre], [Hydrocotyle vulgaris], [Pedicularis palustris] and an abundance of bryophytes, including the pleurocarps [Campylium stellatum], [Drepanocladus intermedius] and the liverwort [Riccardia pinguis], usually forming open swards. These mires are an important habitat for the threatened [Liparis loeselii].


hname:
Bottle sedge ([Carex rostrata]) quaking mires

description:
Transition mire communities of boreal and western nemoral regions dominated by [Carex rostrata] or, in western Siberia, [Carex rotundata], on sphagnum or, sometimes, pleurocarp carpets, usually constituting sparse low formations. They extend south to the mountains of the Caucasus. Vegetation of alliance [Caricetum rostratae].


description:
Transition mire communities of boreal and western nemoral regions of the Palaearctic domaine constituted by mats of acidophilous sphagna with a usually low, open growth of [Carex rostrata], accompanied by [Carex nigra], [Carex canescens], [Carex limosa], [Vaccinium oxycoccos]; the main sphagna are [Sphagnum recurvum], [Sphagnum angustifolium], [Sphagnum auriculatum], [Sphagnum flexuosum], [Sphagnum riparium], [Sphagnum obtusum], [Sphagnum dusenii].


description:
Transition mire communities of boreal and western nemoral regions of the Palaearctic domaine formed by [Carex rostrata] with basiphilous sphagna or pleurocarps.


hname:
Basicline sphagnum-bottle sedge quaking mires

description:
Transition mire communities of boreal and western nemoral regions of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by [Carex rostrata] accompanied by basiphilous sphagna, [Sphagnum contortum], [Sphagnum teres], [Sphagnum warnstorfii], [Sphagnum squarrosum]. They are most characteristic of boreal regions, restricted at lower latitudes to the montane to subalpine belts.


description:
Transition mire communities of boreal and western nemoral regions of the Palaearctic domaine formed by [Carex rostrata] with brown mosses, in particular, [Calliergon cuspidatum], [Calliergon giganteum], [Campylium stellatum], [Scorpidium scorpioides], [Drepanocladus revolvens].


description:
Transition mire communities of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by [Carex limosa], with brown mosses and sphagna, forming low floating or quaking swards.


description:
Basicline [Carex limosa] swards and floating rafts of the Palaearctic domaine, with [Carex lasiocarpa], [Carex lepidocarpa], [Eriophorum gracile] and a rich bryophyte cortège formed by the mosses [Scorpidium scorpioides], [Drepanocladus revolvens], [Calliergon giganteum], [Calliergon trifarium], [Calliergon stramineum], [Campylium stellatum], [Bryum pseudotriquetrum], the liverwort [Riccardia pinguis], and occasionally sphagna. [Scheuchzeria palustris] or [Liparis loeselii] may be present. Outside of transition mires, elements of these communities occur in the depressions of rich fens.


description:
Acidocline [Carex limosa] swards and floating rafts of the Palaearctic domaine, with [Scheuchzeria palustris], [Drosera rotundifolia], [Drosera anglica], [Menyanthes trifoliata] and the sphagna [Sphagnum recurvum], [Sphagnum subsecundum], [Sphagnum imbricatum], [Sphagnum papillosum] and [Menyanthes trifoliata]. Outside of transition mires, elements of these communities, and notably [Scheuchzeria palustris], occur in deep hollows of bogs (unit D1.1121), with [Rhynchospora alba] and [Carex pauciflora] and often without [Carex limosa].


description:
Transition mire communities of the northern boreal regions of the Palaearctic domaine, characteristic, in particular, of northern Finland, forming in flarks and rimpis of aapa mires, composed of a sparse field layer dominated by [Carex limosa] and [Scheuchzeria palustris] and a continuous ground layer of [Sphagnum annulatum], [Sphagnum balticum], [Sphagnum lindbergii], [Sphagnum majus].


hname:
String sedge ([Carex chordorrhiza]) swards

description:
Transition mire communities of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by [Carex chordorrhiza], forming short to medium-tall, usually inundated, swards, predominantly boreal, distributed in Fennoscandia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, Siberia and, very locally, in Scotland, with a disjunct area of occurrence in Central Europe, in pre-Alpine, eastern Hercynian and eastern Carpathian regions.


description:
Transition mire communities of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by [Carex heleonastes], often associated with [Meesia triquetra], forming short to medium-tall swards, of local distribution in transition mires and in bog hollows of peri-Alpine and northern European areas.


description:
Dense, low formations, typified by an abundant turf layer of [Sphagnum contortum], [Sphagnum flexuosum], [Sphagnum subsecundum], [Sphagnum acutifolium], [Sphagnum squarrosum] and the presence of [Drosera rotundifolia], [Pinguicula balcanica] or [Equisetum fluviatile]. Other important elements of this habitat are mosses [Aulacomnium palustre], [Scorpidium vernicosum], [Philonotis fontana] and vascular plants [Carex echinata], [Carex curta], [Parnassia palustris], [Potentilla erecta], [Eriophorum angustifolium].


description:
Patterned mire complexes of the arctic, subarctic and northern boreal zones.


description:
Mires of the subarctic and northern boreal regions formed by elevated frozen mounds or ridges (palsas), 0.5 to 8 m high and up to 50 m in diameter, interspersed wet hollows of similar area. Palsa mires are distributed in the discontinuous permafrost zone of Iceland, northern Fennoscandia and arctic Russia, in areas experiencing subzero temperatures for at least 200 days per year.


description:
Raised features of the palsa mires of the Palaearctic domaine constructed of peat around a permafrost core of ice and peat, colonized by ombrotrophic communities of dwarf shrubs, mosses, sphagna and lichens. They may take the shape of relatively low and flat ridges, 0.50 to 1.5 or 2.0 metres high, or higher domes, up to 8 metres in height. The first may be more characteristic of the continuous permafrost zone, the second of discontinuous permafrost zone where permafrost disappears under the mostly minerotrophic intervening hollows.


description:
Palsa domes, ridges and plateaux of Fennoscandia, restricted to the low alpine, subalpine and sometimes upper conifer forest levels of the northern, arctoalpine, Fennoscandian mountains of Troms, Finnmark, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, with outposts on the Dovre plateau in the boreoalpine mountains of Norway, occupied by dwarf shrub communities composed mainly of [Betula nana], [Empetrum hermaphroditum], [Ledum palustre], [Rubus chamaemorus], [Vaccinium myrtillus], [Vaccinium vitis-idaea], with [Vaccinium microcarpum], the mosses [Dicranum elongatum], [Polytrichum alpestre], [Pleurozium schreberi] and lichens, in particular of genus [Cladonia].


description:
Palsa mounds of the periglacial arctoalpine highlands of central Iceland, 0.5-2.5 metres high, 2-10 metres long, 1-7 metres broad, surrounded by a narrow lake-like lagg or a minerotrophic mud-bottom mire, generally of the Icelandic [Carex rostrata]-[Carex rariflora] type (unit D2.3H2), occupied, on the tops, by shrub communities dominated by [Empetrum hermaphroditum], with [Dryas octopetala], [Salix herbacea], [Armeria maritima], [Silene acaulis], [Kobresia myosuroides], the mosses [Drepanocladus uncinatus], [Racomitrium canescens], the sphagnum [Sphagnum teres] and the lichen [Cetraria islandica], and on the lower slopes by communities dominated by [Salix glauca ssp. callicarpaea] ([Salix arctica]), [Salix herbacea] and [Calamagrostis neglecta].


description:
High hummocks of [Sphagnum fuscum] of palsa mires of the western palsa mire region of the Palaearctic domaine, often congregating in broad fields, resulting, like the palsa mounds, from frost action, but with a core in which the frost is only seasonal though long-lasting.


description:
Pools, hollows and laggs of palsa mires of the subarctic and northern boreal zone, mostly inundated, minerotrophic or partly minerotrophic, acidocline to basicline. They are predominantly colonised by transition mire communities or mud-bottom communities of unit D2.3.


description:
Mire complexes of the central and northern boreal zones, often extensive, with a concave or flat, gently to very slightly sloping surface patterned by an alternation of slightly to substantially raised ridges and hummocks (strings), with minerotrophic or ombrotrophic characteristics, and of minerotrophic pools and hollows (flarks), arranged perpendicularly to the slope direction. In Europe, the main area of distribution is subatlantic and subcontinental Fennoscandia and subarctic and arctic Russia.


description:
Ridges and hummocks of aapa mires of the western boreal zone of the Palaearctic domaine, minerotrophic or partly ombrotrophic, generally long and narrow, lying perpendicular to the slope direction, alternating with elongated water-filled depressions. Low strings carry [Molinia]- or sedge-dominated communities, higher strings communities very similar to those of bog hummocks, unsually with small shrubs or pines.


description:
Strings of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine, characteristic of the northern and central aapa mire regions, often tall or very tall, dominated by [Sphagnum fuscum], usually in conjunction with shrubs of unit D3.215.


description:
Strings of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine, characteristic of the southern aapa mire regions, often relatively low, dominated by sedges of genus [Carex], in particular, [Carex lasiocarpa], associated with sphagna, often [Sphagnum papillosum].


description:
Strings of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine, mostly of the southern aapa mire regions, dominated by cottonsedges of genus [Eriophorum].


description:
Strings of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine, mostly of the southern aapa mire regions, usually low or very low, dominated by [Molinia caerulea].


description:
Strings of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine dominated by dwarf shrubs, similar to those that occupy raised bog hummocks, in particular [Calluna vulgaris], [Empetrum] spp., [Vaccinium uliginosum], [Betula nana], [Rubus chamaemorus], [Ledum palustre], [Chamaedaphne calyculata], and in the Usa River basin of northeastern Europe, [Alnus fruticosa], associated mostly with [Sphagnum fuscum].


description:
Pools and hollows of aapa mires of the western boreal zone, mostly inundated, minerotrophic, most often mesotrophic or eutrophic, mostly shallow, sometimes deep, usually elongated, arranged perpendicularly to the slope direction, alternating with damming ridges, but sometimes more extensive, covering large ridge-free surfaces. They are predominantly colonised by small sedge fen communities, most often mud-bottom communities of unit D2.3H2, sometimes transition mire communities of unit D2.3, rich fen communities of unit D4.1 or acidic fen communities of unit D2.2; they may also harbour tall sedge communities of unit D5.2.


description:
Flarks  or rimpis (long narrow bog pools) of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine with very reduced mud-bottom communities of unit D2.3H2, almost devoid of sedges and sphagna or mosses, limited to small hepatics, in particular, [Gymnocolea inflata], [Cephalosia] spp., [Cladopodiella fluitans] and algae, in particular, [Zygogonium ericetorum].


description:
Flarks (long narrow bog pools) of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine with bottom communities limited to carpets of acidocline or basicline sphagna, in particular, [Sphagnum lindbergii], [Sphagnum balticum], [Sphagnum majus], [Sphagnum subsecundum], [Sphagnum jensenii], [Sphagnum riparium], [Sphagnum dusenii], [Sphagnum tenellum].


description:
Flarks (long narrow bog pools) of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine with bottom communities limited to carpets of brown mosses, in particular, [Drepanocladus exannulatus], [Scorpidium scorpioides].


description:
Flarks (long narrow bog pools) of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine colonized by mud-bottom sedge or rush communities of unit D2.3H2, mostly dominated by [Carex limosa], [Carex rostrata], [Carex chordorrhiza], [Carex lasiocarpa], [Carex livida], [Carex rotundata], [Carex aquatilis], [Eriophorum angustifolium] or [Juncus stygius], most frequent of the vascular flark communities.


description:
Flarks (long narrow bog pools) of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine colonized by rich fen communities of unit D4.1.


description:
Flarks (long narrow bog pools) of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine colonized by acidic fen communities of unit D2.2.


description:
Flarks (long narrow bog pools)  of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine colonized by transition fen communities of unit D2.3.


description:
Flarks (long narrow bog pools) of aapa mires of the Palaearctic domaine colonized by tall sedge beds of unit D5.2.


description:
Mires of spring or seep systems of nemoral Europe fed by lime-rich waters over clay soils physiognomically dominated by the presence, alongside [Cratoneurion commutati] communities, of colonies of the large horsetail [Equisetum telmateia], pure or accompanied by other species characteristic of lowland tall herb communities (unit E5.4); these colonies may be dense, extensive and up to three metres tall.


description:
Mires of spring or seep systems of boreal and nemoral Europe fed by lime-rich waters over sand or gravel soils physiognomically dominated by the presence, alongside [Cratoneurion commutati] formations, of communities belonging to or related to arcto-alpine riverine swards (unit D4.2) or subalpine willowherb stream communities (unit C3.55) comprising in particular stands of the perennial horsetail [Equisetum variegatum].


description:
Communities of calcareous springs, flushes, seeps or parts of spring systems of nemoral and boreal Europe in which, alongside an abundant representation of bryophytes, assemblages of small dicots or sedges contribute significantly to the formation's appearance. Mosses of genus [Cratoneuron] usually remain the main bryophyte component, and there may be a modest amount of tufa encrustation and deposition. Characteristic vascular species include, in particular, [Cochlearia pyrenaica], [Arabis soyeri], [Pinguicula vulgaris], [Saxifraga aizoides], and fen species belonging to the cortège of the [Caricetalia davallianae].


description:
Endemic [Cochlearia polonica] formations of cold springs and very clear fast-running brooks of fluvioglacial sand deposits over limestones of the Polish Jurassic region.


description:
Calcareous spring communities, usually dominated by [Saxifraga aizoides], [Silene pusilla], [Caltha laeta], [Cratoneuron commutatum], with regional species, such as [Doronicum carpaticum], [Chrysosplenium alpinum], [Achillea schurii].


description:
Calcareous tufa-forming spring communities of the subalpine and lower alpine levels of the boreonemoral and boreoalpine mountains of Fennoscandia, dominated by brown mosses, in particular by [Cratoneuron] species, with a relatively thin assembly of vascular species formed by elements of both fens and wet meadows, usually with a prominence of [Cystopteris montana] or [Saxifraga aizoides].


description:
Calcareous spring and seep communities, often strongly tufa forming, of southeastern Europe, in particular of the Illyrian karst region, of the Devetashko Plateau in northern Bulgaria, with [Phyllitis scolopendrium], of the Hellenides of the F.Y.R. of Macedonia and Greece.


description:
Communities of alpine and subalpine calcareous springs of the Caucasus, with [Cardamine uliginosa], [Cardamine raphanifolia], [Primula auriculata], [Epilobium algidum], [Veronica beccabunga], [Carex orbicularis].


description:
Calcareous spring and seep communities, often strongly tufa forming, of the Anatolian plateau.


hname:
Basic mountain flushes and streamsides, with a rich arctic-montane flora

description:
Rare Alpine, peri-Alpine, northern British and periarctic pioneer communities colonizing gravelly, sandy, stony, sometimes somewhat argilous or peaty, calcareous sedimentary substrates soaked by cold water, in moraines and on the edge of springs, rivulets, glacial torrents of the alpine or subalpine levels, or on alluvial sands of pure, cold, slow-flowing rivers and calm backwaters. The highly characteristic constituents, with a boreoarctic or glacial relict distribution, are [Carex bicolor], [Carex microglochin], [Carex maritima], [Carex atrofusca], [Carex vaginata], [Kobresia simpliciuscula], [Scirpus pumilus], [Juncus arcticus], [Juncus alpinoarticulatus], [Juncus castaneus], [Juncus triglumis], [Typha minima], [Typha lugdunensis], [Typha shuttleworthii], [Tofieldia pusilla]; they are often accompanied by [Carex davalliana], [Carex dioica], [Carex capillaris], [Carex panicea], [Carex nigra], [Blysmus compressus], [Eleocharis quinqueflora], [Scirpus cespitosus], [Primula farinosa], [Equisetum variegatum], [Drepanocladus intermedius], [Campylium stellatum].


hname:
Arctoalpine riverine false sedge and bristle sedge swards

description:
Arctoalpine seep and wet gravel communities of the Alpine system and the Fennoscandian mountains dominated by [Kobresia simpliciuscula] or [Carex microglochin].


description:
Rare pioneer communities of the edges of glacier-fed streams and moraines of the subalpine and alpine levels of the central Alps, dominated by [Carex maritima] ([Carex juncifolia], [Carex incurva]), with [Carex bicolor], [Carex atrofusca], [Juncus arcticus].


hname:
Arctoalpine riverine horsetail, bullrush and rush swards

description:
Communities of cold slow-flowing waters of the Alps and pre-Alpine regions, and of the mountains of Fennoscandia formed by [Typha minima], [Typha shuttleworthii], [Juncus alpinus] ([Juncus alpinoarticulatus]), [Juncus arcticus], [Juncus castaneus], [Equisetum variegatum].


description:
Rare communities of micaceous stony flushes of the Highlands of Scotland and of upper Teesdale, with [Carex atrofusca], [Carex microglochin], [Carex demissa], [Carex dioica], [Carex panicea], [Juncus triglumis], [Juncus biglumis], [Juncus castaneus], [Kobresia simpliciuscula], [Tofieldia pusilla], [Saxifraga aizoides], [Thalictrum alpinum], [Equisetum variegatum], [Equisetum hyemale] and the moss [Blindia acuta].


description:
Rich [Carex atrofusca]-dominated fen communities of the lower alpine level of boreoalpine and arctoalpine mountains of Fennoscandia, on calcareous substrates with near-surface ground water and relatively high pH; peat production is usually low and mineral earth can be bare. The species cortège typically includes [Carex vaginata], [Carex capillaris], [Carex parallela], [Carex dioica], [Carex bigelowii], [Juncus triglumis], [Juncus biglumis], [Polygonum viviparum] ([Bistorta vivipara]), [Saxifraga aizoides], [Thalictrum alpinum], [Tofieldia pusilla], [Salix reticulata], [Drepanocladus revolvens], [Campylium stellatum].


description:
Sedge or grass formations of arctic, subarctic, arctoalpine and boreoalpine regions of the Palaearctic, often almost monospecific, often with an insignificant bryophyte component, sometimes with substantial [Calliergon], [Bryum] or [Philonotis] moss cover, occupying fine-grained, often sandy, long-submerged but well aerated, alluvial deposits in the inundation zone of rivers, brooks, lakes or deltas, relatively nutrient-rich, in part through the contribution of regular flooding, and with a variable lime content.


description:
[Eriophorum scheuchzeri]- or [Eriophorum angustifolium]-dominated marsh-fen communities of fine-grained long-submerged alluvial deposits of the inundation zone of rivers, brooks, lakes or deltas of the arctic, subarctic, arctoalpine and boreoalpine regions of the Palaearctic.


description:
Grass- or forb-dominated marsh-fen communities of fine-grained long-submerged alluvial deposits of the inundation zone of rivers, brooks, lakes or deltas of the arctic, subarctic, arctoalpine and boreoalpine regions of the Palaearctic.


description:
[Carex] spp.-dominated marsh-fen communities of fine-grained long-submerged alluvial deposits of the inundation zone of rivers, brooks, lakes or deltas of the arctic, subarctic, arctoalpine and boreoalpine regions of the Palaearctic.


hname:
Sedge and reedbeds, normally without free-standing water

description:
Sedge and reedbeds forming terrestrial mire habitats, not closely associated with open water. Excluded are reedbeds and sedges where they form emergent or fringing vegetation beside water bodies (C3.2).


hname:
Reedbeds normally without free-standing water

description:
Terrestrialized stands of tall helophyte [Poaceae], [Schoenoplectus] spp., [Typha] spp., horsetails or forbs, usually species-poor and often dominated by one species, growing on waterlogged ground. They are classified according to dominant species which give them a distinctive appearance. These species also grow as emergents and fringing vegetation beside water bodies (C3.2).


hname:
Common reed ([Phragmites]) beds normally without free-standing water

description:
[Phragmites australis] beds of the Palaearctic region dry for at least a large part of the year, often invaded by other species.


description:
Non-inundated [Phragmites australis] beds of the Palaearctic region occupying mires, the landfilling zone of waterbodies, the edges of watercourses and other soils permeated by fresh water.


hname:
Common clubrush ([Scirpus]) beds normally without free-standing water


hname:
Reedmace ([Typha]) beds normally without free-standing water

description:
Communities of the margins of Palaearctic lakes, rivers and brooks dominated by [Typha latifolia], [Typha angustifolia], [Typha domingensis], [Typha laxmannii], [Typha elephantina] formations, usually extremely species-poor and sometimes almost pure, tolerant of extended periods of dryness, varying conditions of salinity, and of pollution.


hname:
Beds of large sedges normally without free-standing water

description:
Terrestrialized stands of tall [Carex], [Cladium] and [Cyperus], usually species-poor and often dominated by one species, growing on waterlogged ground. These species also grow as emergents and fringing vegetation beside water bodies (C3.2).


description:
Communities of social sedges of genus [Carex], usually dominated by one species that can be either tussock-forming or bed-forming. They are arranged according to dominant species. Species [Carex acutiformis], [Carex appropinquata], [Carex elata], [Carex paniculata], [Carex lasiocarpa] are present. Vegetation of alliance [Magnocaricion elatae].


description:
Formations of [Carex disticha] of Palaearctic humid alluvial meadows on clay and of temporarily drying peatbogs; often in contact with grasslands of the [Calthion] and sometimes placed in that alliance; they tolerate fairly long desiccation and have a relatively rich accompanying flora.


hname:
Slender tufted sedge beds and related communities

description:
Palaearctic formations of the terrestrialisation zone of marshes, ponds and lakes on mostly mineral, neutral, basic or weakly acid substrates, dominated by large bed-forming, rhizomatous, sedges, in particular, [Carex acuta], [Carex acutiformis] or their relatives.


description:
Palaearctic formations of [Carex acuta] of wet, alkaline or slightly acid depressions with mineral soil; [Carex acuta] does not tolerate prolonged desiccation. The community is distributed, in particular, in northern France, the Low Countries, Central Europe south to the Sava and Drava valleys of Croatia, the northern Morava valley of Serbia and Romania, north to Poland, the Kaliningrad District, Lithuania and Latvia, in southern Scandinavia, in the Dnieper basin of northern Ukraine and southern Belarus, in the lower Volga Valley.


description:
Palaearctic communities dominated by [Carex acutiformis], more tolerant of desiccation than [Carex acuta], forming beds on mesotrophic, base-rich, neutral to slightly acid, peaty or mineral soils. Large beds may form in fens, often with [Carex paniculata]; otherwise, they are widespread along watercourses on the landward side of [Carex acuta] or [Carex vesicaria] beds, in alluvial plains, ditches and depressions of humid meadow systems; they may occupy stations that almost totally escape periodical inundation.


description:
Formations of [Carex oenensis], restricted to oligotrophic, base-rich streamsides of the pre-Alpine Bavarian plateau.


description:
[Carex buekii] formations of mesotrophic sandy or clayey soils in Franconia, eastern Bavaria, Saxony, northern Italy, eastern central Europe, eastern Europe and western Asia.


description:
Mesotrophic [Carex aquatilis] formations of northern Siberia and northern Europe, south to Lower Saxony, Friesland, Wales, Lakeland, Scotland, Ireland.


description:
[Carex acuta ssp. broteriana] formations of Iberia, lining river courses on the inner side of alder galleries, or replacing them.


description:
Palaearctic swamp communities dominated by [Carex melanostachya] ([Carex nutans]), characteristic of slightly saline soils of the Pannonic region, habitat of the uncommon [Carex curvata].


description:
Formations of the terrestrialisation zone of Mediterranean marshes, ponds, lakes, ditches dominated by [Carex hispida].


description:
Formations of [Carex riparia], mostly characteristic of larger valleys and southern regions of the Palaearctic domaine, intolerant of desiccation. They form on mineral or thinly peaty substrates, often in areas almost permanently inundated by somewhat lime-rich water.


description:
Palaearctic terrestrialisation communities dominated by [Carex vesicaria], [Carex rostrata] or [Carex lasiocarpa], characteristic of moderately to strongly acid, fairly constantly inundated soils and poor fens.


description:
Terrestrialisation sedge beds of the Palaearctic domaine, characteristic, in particular, of continental regions, dominated by [Carex rostrata], forming dense, vigorous, fertile beds on usually very wet, meso-oligotrophic substrates.


description:
Palaearctic formations of [Carex vesicaria], usually characteristic of less oligotrophic situations than the previous ones. [Carex vesicaria], however, often accompanies [Carex rostrata], forming then the outer, drier edge of the sedge bed.


description:
Palaearctic terrestrialisation communities dominated by [Carex lasiocarpa], characteristic of dystrophic to mesotrophic waters with low to moderate level fluctuations, on weakly to moderately acid peaty substrates or gyttyas, most widespread in northern and continental Eurasia, with representatives in Atlantic Europe, in particular in Ireland, and, as rare glacial relicts, in Alpine lands.


description:
Palaearctic formations dominated by the large, tussock-forming [Carex elata] or its relatives.


description:
Formations of large, often crowded tussocks of [Carex elata], of alkaline or eutrophic, peaty or organic soils of the Palaearctic domaine. [Carex elata] is, in particular, one of the constituents of species-rich sedge communities in alkaline fens. It is also typical of the flood plain of large, slow-flowing rivers.


description:
Formations of [Carex cespitosa], characteristic of nutrient- and base-rich, neutral to acid peaty soils of Siberia, Central Asia, northern and central Europe, west to the Netherlands, Bohemia, Württemberg and northern Italy.


description:
Formations of large, usually well-spaced tussocks of [Carex paniculata], of alkaline to acid, usually mesotrophic, often somewhat shady, habitually peaty stations of the Palaearctic domaine, including marshy woods. [Carex paniculata] is also a constituent of species-rich alkaline fen sedge communities.


description:
Terrestrialisation formations of Palaearctic lakes, ponds and swamps dominated by [Carex appropinquata] ([Carex paradoxa]) or [Carex diandra].


description:
Annual [Salicornia] spp. and [Microcnemum coralloides] formations of interior Iberian salt basins.


description:
Formations of the endemic [Microcnemum coralloides ssp. coralloides], associated or not with [Salicornia europaea] s.l., of interior salt basins of central and east-central Spain.


description:
Formations of [Salicornia europaea] s.l. of interior salt basins of Iberia.


hname:
Interior central European and Anatolian glasswort swards


hname:
Middle European grassy rock debris communities

description:
Open lowland and hill rock debris swards of suboceanic climates of Western Europe and western and northern Central Europe, eastwards sporadically to the hills of the Pannonic plain, in which perennial grasses such as [Poa badensis], [Melica ciliata] and [Festuca] spp. play an important physiognomic role.


hname:
[Poa badensis] and garlic rock debris swards

description:
Lowland and hill rock debris swards of northern Bavaria, Bohemia and Thuringe, dominated by [Poa badensis], by [Allium montanum] or by both species.


description:
Lowland and hill rock debris swards of the Rhenish Hercynian ranges, the Jura, the Bohemian Quadrangle and the eastern Alpine periphery, dominated by [Poa compressa] or [Poa angustifolia].


description:
Open, sub-Mediterranean type, limestone rock grassland of the western part of the Hungarian Central Range, with [Asplenium ruta-muraria], [Melica ciliata] and harbouring the rare and protected [Ceterach javorkaenum], [Colchicum hungaricum], [Sedum neglectum ssp. sopianae].


hname:
Middle European rock debris small forb communities

description:
Open lowland and hill rock debris swards of suboceanic, temperate or sub-Mediterranean, climates of Western Europe and Central Europe in which small annual or perennial forbs predominate over sparser crassulids or perennial grasses.


description:
Pioneer communities colonizing thin debris soils and cracks of rocks, cliffs and rock pavements of xerothermic enclaves of the boreonemoral and southern boreal zones of Norway, Sweden and Finland, mostly limited to coastal regions, southern slopes and alvars. Some of the communities share physiognomic and ecological characteristics with the Central European communities of unit E1.29.


hname:
Euro-Siberian pioneer calcareous sand swards

description:
Open grasslands of strongly to slightly calcareous inland sands of Western Europe and of middle, western and northern Central Europe, locally to Slovakia, the Baltic States and Belarus, with [Helichrysum arenarium], [Silene otites], [Silene chlorantha], [Dianthus deltoides], [Dianthus arenarius], [Bromus tectorum], [Cynodon dactylon], [Gypsophila fastigiata ssp. arenaria], [Astragalus arenarius], [Androsace septentrionalis], [Onosma arenaria], [Jurinea cyanoides], [Koeleria glauca], [Koeleria macrantha], [Festuca psammophila], [Festuca polesica], [Festuca duvalii], [Poa bulbosa], Pannonic endemic [Colchicum arenarium] and the Brandenburg endemic [Stipa borysthenica ssp. germanica], sometimes interspersed with annual formations with [Cerastium semidecandrum], [Vicia lathyroides], [Silene conica], [Phleum arenarium], [Petrorhagia prolifera], [Arenaria serpyllifolia], [Sedum acre]. Dunal equivalent formations are found in unit H5.


hname:
Perennial calcareous grassland and basic steppes

description:
Perennial grasslands, often nutrient-poor and species-rich, on calcareous and other basic soils of the nemoral and steppe zones and of adjacent parts of the subboreal and submediterranean zones. Includes the calcareous grasslands of central and western Europe, alvar grasslands of the Baltic region, and basic grasslands of the steppe zone. Vegetation communities of [Festuco-Brometea].


description:
Perennial, steppe-like low open grasslands on shallow stony soils of the sub-Mediterranean and sub-Pannonic [Quercion frainetto] and [Fagion moesiacum] zones of the Balkan peninsula, from Greece to Serbia and western Bulgaria. Typical species (among others): [Festuca valesiaca], [Festuca rupicola], [Koeleria gracilis], [Stipa] spp., [Bromus erectus], [Poa bulbosa], [Melica ciliata], [Carex humilis], [Carex caryophyllea], [Satureja montana], [Galium purpureum], [Teucrium montanum], [Vincetoxicum hirundinaria], [Artemisia alba], [Galium album], [Euphorbia cyparissias], [Teucrium chamaedrys].


description:
Open or closed arid, floristically rich steppe-like grasslands of sub-continental areas of Central Europe, typically with [Stipa] spp., [Festuca valesiaca], [Festuca rupicola] and [Festuca trachyphylla]. Vegetation of alliances such as [Festucion valesiacae] and [Seslerio-Festucion glaucae] with other species like [Festuca pallens], [Poa badensis], [Carex humilis], [Sesleria varia], [Teucrium montanum], [Ononis pusilla], [Helianthemum canum], [Iris aphylla], [Onosma tornensis], [Draba lasiocarpa], [Scorzonera austriaca] and [Fumana procumbens].


description:
Xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic affinities of the hills of the western, northern and southwestern periphery of the Pannonic basin and of the Hungarian Central Range, with irradiations into the Bohemian basin.


description:
Relatively wide-ranging xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic affinities of the hills of the western and northern, predominantly pre-Alpine or pre-Carpathian, periphery of the Pannonic basin in Austria, Moravia and Slovakia.


description:
Localized xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic affinities of the hills of the northwestern, pre-Bohemian, periphery of the Pannonic basin.


description:
Grasslands of dry slopes of the Hungarian Central Range and the Mecsek hills, harbouring many continental and regionally important species including the very rare [Ferula sadlerana], with [Festuca rupicola], [Stipa capillata], [Stipa crassiculmis ssp. euroanatolica], [Stipa dasyphylla], [Cleistogenes serotina] ([Diplachne serotina]), [Dracocephalum austriacum], [Lotus borbasii], [Adonis vernalis], [Iris pumila], [Pulsatilla nigricans], [Ranunculus illyricus], [Veronica austriaca], [Linum austriacum], [Convolvulus cantabrica].


description:
Xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic affinities of the hills of the southwestern periphery of the Pannonic basin.


description:
Xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic affinities of the hills of the western and southwestern periphery of the Pannonic basin, dominated by [Dichanthium ischaemum].


description:
Xerophile grasslands of the Hungarian Central Range, intermediate between the rock swards of the [Festucetalia pallentis] and the steppes of the [Festucetalia valesiacae], and often in contact with both, developed on shallow rendzina soils over dolomites, rich in species of sub-Mediterranean and Illyrian affinities, in addition to a continental, in part Pontic, cortège, including in particular [Festuca pallens], [Carex humilis], [Helianthemum canum], [Jurinea mollis], [Scorzonera austriaca], [Teucrium montanum], [Euphorbia seguierana], [Erysimum diffusum], [Fumana vulgaris], [Minuartia setacea], [Onosma visianii], [Paronychia cephalotes], [Allium moschatum].


description:
Xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic affinities of the foothills, lower slopes and associated plateaux of the eastern Carpathian system, of the Balkan Range and of the Dinarides, in areas enclaved between the Pannonic and Ponto-Sarmatic regions or within their influence.


description:
Xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic affinities of the foothills, lower slopes and associated plateaux of the eastern Carpathian system, of the Balkan Range and of the inner Dinarides, in areas enclaved between the Pannonic and Ponto-Sarmatic regions or within their influence, dominated by [Festuca] spp., in particular [Festuca valesiaca], [Festuca rupicola] or [Stipa] spp., in particular [Stipa capillata], [Stipa pulcherrima], and with [Achillea nobilis], [Achillea setacea], [Astragalus exscapus], [Euphrasia tatarica], [Carex supina].


description:
Xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic affinities of the foothills, lower slopes and associated plateaux of the eastern Carpathian system, of the Balkan Range and of the inner Dinarides, in areas enclaved between the Pannonic and Ponto-Sarmatic regions or within their influence, dominated by [Dichanthium ischaemum] ([Bothriochloa ischaemum], [Andropogon ischaemum]).


description:
Meso-xerophile grasslands of Central Europe with [Astragalus danicus], [Inula spiraeifolia], [Seseli annuum], [Linum] spp., [Carex michelii], [Carex praecox], [Carex flacca]. Varied plant communities of grasses and herbs mostly in basins and uplands. As a consequence of pasture, a mesophilous tendency often includes widespread [Juniperus communis]. Vegetation of alliance [Carduo-Brachypodion pinnati], common species are [Brachypodium pinnatum], [Festuca rupicola], [Cirsium pannonicum], [Linum flavum], [Potentilla alba], [Bromus erectus], [Coronilla varia], [Buphthalmum salicifolium] and [Campanula glomerata].


description:
Meso-xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic affinities of the hills of the western, northern and southwestern periphery of the Pannonic basin and of the Hungarian Central Range.


description:
Secondary xero-mesophile grasslands colonizing abandoned vineyards in the Hungarian Central Range rich in rare and fragile species, harbouring, in particular, [Stipa stenophylla] ([Stipa tirsa]), [Campanula macrostachya], [Helictotrichon compressum], [Danthonia alpina], [Stipa dasyphylla], [Seseli osseum], [Centaurea triumfett ssp. axillaris], [Iris pumila], [Peucedanum cervaria], [Carex humilis], [Inula hirta].


description:
Meso-xerophile grasslands of the Transylvanian basin and the foothills of the Apuseni mountains, rich in species of Mediterranean or Mediterraneo-Atlantic affinities, with [Brachypodium pinnatum], [Dorycnium herbaceum], [Trifolium montanum], [Polygala major], [Fragaria viridis], [Plantago media], [Onobrychis viciifolia], [Filipendula vulgaris], [Ranunculus polyanthemos], [Melampyrum arvense], [Hieracium bauhinii], [Thesium linophyllon], [Hypochoeris maculata], [Drunella grandiflora], [Seseli annuum], [Anthericum ramosum], [Bupleurum falcatum], [Peucedanum cervaria], [Trifolium alpestre], [Gentiana cruciata], [Cirsium pannonicum], [Origanum vulgare], [Carex montana], [Bromus erectus], [Orchis militaris], [Orchis ustulata], [Himantoglossum caprinum], [Anacamptis pyramidalis], [Herminium monorchis], [Ophrys apifera], [Ophrys sphegodes], [Ophrys fuciflora], and the xerothermic steppe species [Salvia nutans], [Adonis vernalis], [Crambe tataria], [Seseli varium], [Salvia austriaca], [Hypericum elegans].


description:
Meso-xerophile grasslands of Ponto-Pannonic or Illyrio-Pontic affinities of the foothills, lower slopes and associated plateaux of the eastern Carpathian system, of the Balkan Range and of the eastern Dinarides, in areas enclaved between the Pannonic and Ponto-Sarmatic regions or within their influence.


description:
Dry grasslands of the isolated, low-precipitation, high insolation, high summer temperature, inner Alpine valleys of the central, eastern and southwestern Alps.


description:
Steppic grasslands of palaeozoic limestones of the Baltic islands of Åland and Gotland and of calcareous enclaves of southern Sweden, in Vestgotland, dominated by fescues with numerous species of continental affinities, many at the northern limit of their range, in particular, [Artemisia oelandica], [Artemisia saxicola], [Ranunculus illyricus], [Globularia vulgaris]. They are rich in endemic species and in orchids. Besides the steppe communities included in this unit, their environment includes pioneer rock swards included in unit E1.1 and lowland rock crack communities included in unit H3.


description:
More or less mesophile, closed formations dominated by perennial, tuft-forming grasses, colonizing relatively deep, mostly calcareous soils. Generally species-rich, these communities may be overwhelmed by the highly social [Brachypodium pinnatum].Their range extends from the British Isles, Denmark, the Low Countries and northern Germany to the Cantabric range, the Pyrenees, Catalonia, the southern Alps and the Central Apennines, extending east to the Bohemian Quadrangle, beyond which they are replaced by the vicariant formations of the [Cirsio-Brachypodion], to the Wienerwald, Styria and Illyria. [Bromus erectus] and [Brachypodium pinnatum] often dominate, other grasses include [Koeleria pyramidata], [Festuca guestfalica], [Festuca rupicola], [Festuca lemanii], [Avenula pubescens], [Sesleria albicans], [Briza media], [Carex caryophyllea] and [Carex flacca]. Herbs: [Gentianella germanica], [Trifolium montanum], [Ononis repens], [Medicago lupulina], [Ranunculus bulbosus], [Cirsium acaule], [Euphrasia stricta], [Dianthus deltoides], [Potentilla neumanniana] ([Potentilla tabernaemontani], [Potentilla verna]), [Anthyllis vulneraria], [Galium verum], [Euphorbia brittingeri] ([Euphorbia verrucosa]), [Hippocrepis comosa], [Scabiosa columbaria], [Centaurea scabiosa], [Carlina vulgaris], [Viola hirta], and numerous orchid species. Forming a bridge between the Mediterranean region and thermophile sites to the north, they can be identified by their high representation of Mediterranean species in the north and of Euro-Siberian ones in the south.


description:
Sub-Atlantic dry calcareous grasslands of Denmark, southern Scandinavia and the British Isles.


description:
Dry or mesophile calcareous grasslands of sub-Mediterranean or sub-boreal affinities of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland dominated by species of genus [Festuca] or [Avenula].


description:
Calcareous grasslands of central and central-western Ireland.


description:
Very local, dry or mesophile grasslands occupying isolated limestone outcrops or deposits of Scotland, in particular on the Durness limestone of the northwest, the Dalradian limestones of Perthshire and basalt hills of the east, with [Koeleria macrantha], [Festuca ovina], [Festuca rubra], [Briza media], [Avenula pratensis], [Carex flacca], [Carex caryophyllea], [Carex capillaris], [Helianthemum nummularium], [Astragalus danicus], [Thymus drucei].


hname:
Britannic [Sesleria] dry calcicolous grasslands

description:
Dry calcicolous grasslands of northern England, characteristic mostly of Carboniferous or Magnesian limestone substrates in the Pennines of Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire, the Lake District and Durham, including Teesdale, rich in [Sesleria albicans] and with many isolated populations of restricted or rare plants.


description:
Dry calcicolous grasslands of Carboniferous Limestone outcrops of Wales and the Mendips, extending locally to hard Chalk formations of the Isle of Wight and of the neighbouring southern English mainland, with [Festuca ovina], [Koeleria macrantha], [Carex flacca], [Briza media], [Avenula pubescens], [Avenula pratensis], [Festuca rubra], [Carlina vulgaris], [Sanguisorba minor], [Thymus praecox], [Hieracium pilosella], [Lotus corniculatus], [Plantago lanceolata], [Helianthemum nummularium], [Helianthemum canum], [Scilla verna].


hname:
Southern Britannic dry calcicolous grasslands

description:
Grasslands of the chalk downs and mainly Jurassic calcareous hills of southern Britain, mostly of southern and eastern England, with [Bromus erectus] and [Brachypodium pinnatum], or [Festuca] spp. and [Avenula] spp., often very rich in orchids.


hname:
Middle European [Bromus erectus] semidry grasslands

description:
Mesophile and meso-xerophile calcareous grasslands of the sub-Atlantic domaine in the Low Countries, Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, northern, central and western France and northwestern Spain. They are faunistically and floristically rich and the highly discontinuous nature of their distribution gives rise to a considerable geographical variation in the composition of plant and animal communities, marked by the occurrence of numerous species of local or disjunct occurrence in addition to the basic cortège common to most of them. Besides this geographical variation, the nature of these grasslands also depends, to a great extent, on hydric regime, substrate characteristics and agropastoral treatment, notably on whether they are mowed or grazed and how intensively. In particular, the relative abundance of the main constituent grass species, [Bromus erectus], [Brachypodium pinnatum] [s. l]., [Sesleria albicans] and [Koeleria pyramidata], varies both geographically with climatic conditions and locally with topography and agropastoral regime. Thus, although separate geographical entities may differ in that relative abundance, similarly differing facies may also coexist locally, producing sharply distinct habitats. To accomodate for these concurrent axes of variation, formations dominated by [Brachypodium] or by [Sesleria], as well as all semidamp formations, are removed from this division and placed in units 34.323, 34.324 and 34.325. Geographical subdivisions, most apt at identifying distinctive plant and animal communities, may be used in the four sections by addition of a fourth decimal digit common to all of them. The regions encompassed by the geographical subdivisions corresponding to each value of this fourth digit are in all cases described under this section although in some of them, or in parts of some of them, there may be no grasslands belonging to unit 34.322, but only grasslands belonging to units 34.323, 34.324 or 34.325; these cases have, as much as possible, been identified under each of the subdivisions below.


description:
Mesophile grasslands of the northwestern Hercynian periphery, on mostly Devonian or Carboniferous limestones or dolomitic limestones, occasionally on calcschists, in the Mosan district of Belgium and the French Meuse, with isolated stations in the Ardenne-Eifel of Luxembourg and Rhineland.


description:
Chalk grasslands of the Belgian low Meuse, extreme southeastern Netherlands and Westphalia, generally without [Bromus erectus], and alluvial [Mesobromion] grasslands of adjacent regions (these to be listed under unit E1.264).


description:
Closed mesophile grasslands, on substrates derived from Mesozoic limestones, of the periphery of the Harz in Saxony, Thuringe, Hesse and the hills of Lower Saxony.


description:
Closed mesophile calcareous grasslands of the Oder basin in Brandenbourg and Mecklenburg.


description:
Mesophile grasslands of the Cretaceous northwestern and western periphery of the Paris basin, the valleys of the Seine, Bray and Somme and adjacent Jurassic areas of Basse Normandie and the Boulonnais.


description:
Mesophile calcareous grasslands of the Parisian Tertiary in the central Paris basin.


description:
Mesophile grasslands of the northeastern, eastern and southeastern Jurassic belt of the Paris basin and adjacent Cretaceous areas in Lorraine, Champagne, Haute-Marne, Burgundy, Haute-Saone.


description:
Closed mesophile calcareous grasslands of the Rhine, Mainz, Moselle, Neckar, Nahe and Lahn valleys in their crossing of the northern Hercynian ranges.


description:
Closed mesophile calcareous grasslands of the upper Rhine rift and adjacent hills, in Alsace, Baden-Württemberg and Switzerland.


description:
Mesophile calcareous grasslands of the southern Black Forest.


description:
Mesophile calcareous grasslands of the French and Swiss Jura and adjacent areas.


description:
Mesophile calcareous grasslands of the Swabian Alb and adjacent areas.


description:
Closed mesophile calcareous grasslands of the Franconian Alb, Franconian plateaux and adjacent areas.


description:
Hill and montane mesophile grasslands of the northwestern calcareous pre-Alps.


description:
Hill and montane mesophile calcareous grasslands of the Isar valley, the Bavarian plateau, the Bavarian pre-Alps, the Austrian northern, eastern and southeastern pre-Alps.


description:
Mesophile calcareous grasslands of the Ligerian basin in the southern Paris basin, Berry, Limagne d'Auvergne and Forez.


description:
Formations of southern Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, northern Spain and the northern Apennines. Where they occur in the vicinity of communities of the [Festucetalia valesiacae], the latter occupy sites with more continental microclimates than those inhabited by the formations of this group.


description:
Xerophile grasslands of the northwestern Hercynian periphery, on mostly Devonian or Carboniferous limestones, in the Mosan district of Belgium and the French Meuse, with outposts in the Ardenne-Eifel of Luxembourg and Rhineland; the stations are for the most part very limited in extent and widely isolated.


description:
Xerophile grasslands, on substrates derived from Mesozoic limestones of the periphery of the Harz, notably in Thuringe.


description:
Xero-thermophile subcontinental rock-ledge grasslands of Carpathian affinities, distributed in the hills of the western and southern periphery of the Carpathian arc and in the Central Hungarian Range.


hname:
Pre-Carpathian Baden meadowgrass pale fescue grasslands

description:
Open xero-thermophile subcontinental primary rock-ledge grasslands of limestones and dolomites of the Hainburger Bergen, the Weinviertel, the Pavlov Hills and southern Slovakia, dominated by large, distant tufts of [Festuca pallens] alternating with small, prostrate espalier subshrubs, [Fumana procumbens], [Thymus praecox], [Helianthemum canum], succulents, [Sedum album], [Sedum sexangulare], [Jovibarba hirta], mosses and lichens.


description:
Open rock-ledge grasslands installed on limestone rocks of higher elevations of the Hungarian Central Range, with numerous species of Carpathian affinities, dominated by [Sesleria heuflerana ssp. hungarica], [Festuca pallens], with [Campanula divergentiformis], [Hieracium bupleuroides], [Saxifraga paniculata], [Asplenium ruta-muraria], [Sempervivum marmoreum], [Dianthus lumnitzeri], [Cytisus ciliatus], [Viola tricolor], [Allium montanum].


description:
Xero-thermophile subcontinental rock-ledge grasslands of the Central Hungarian Range, with irradiations in neighbouring ranges, in particular, in the southern Moravian and eastern Austrian hills.


hname:
Pannonic dwarf sedge pale fescue grasslands

description:
Open, xero-thermophile subcontinental rock-ledge grasslands of the Hainburger Bergen, the Weinviertel, the southern Moravian hills and southern Slovakia, dominated by fairy-ring or half-moon shaped colonies of [Carex humilis], accompanied by [Festuca carnuntina], [Festuca pallens], [Stipa eriocaulis], [Stipa capillata], the subshrubs [Thymus praecox], [Helianthemum canum], [Teucrium montanum], [Fumana procumbens], the herbs [Seseli hippomarathrum], [Seseli osseum], [Echinops ritro], [Jurinea mollis], [Scabiosa canescens], many spring annuals of sub-Mediterranean affinities and drought-resistant mosses and lichens.


description:
Xerothermic grasslands of the Transdanubian part of the Hungarian Central Range, developed on skeletal soils and dolomite debris of warm, dry, steep slopes with a south and southwest exposure, rich in [Festuca pallens], abundant in species of sub-Mediterranean or Eurasian affinities, such as [Stipa eriocaulis], [Stipa pulcherrima], [Fumana procumbens], [Paronychia cephalotes], [Allium moschatum], [Dorycnium germanicum], [Gypsophila arenaria], [Carex humilis], [Pulsatilla grandis], [Globularia aphyllanthes], [Asperula cynanchica], with [Thalictrum pseudominus], [Astragalus vesicarius ssp. albidus], with Pannonic endemics [Seseli leucospermum], [Linum dolomiticum], and a significant representation of some typically high mountain species including [Poa badensis] and [Draba lasiocarpa].


description:
Grasslands, almost completely closed, on shallow rendzines of north-facing dolomite hills of the western Hungarian Central Range, often in contact with the [Seseleo-Festucetum pallentis] communities of southern exposures, with abundant [Festuca pallens] and [Bromus erectus ssp. pannonicus], a well-developed moss layer and characteristic accompanying species, including [Daphne cneorum], [Thalictrum pseudominus], [Anthyllis vulneraria ssp. alpestris], [Polygala amara], [Phyteuma orbiculare], [Coronilla vaginalis], [Galium pumilum var. austriacum], [Carduus glaucus] and the extremely rare endemic [Linum dolomiticum].


hname:
Pannonic cinquefoil pale fescue grasslands

description:
Open rock grasslands developed on slightly calcareous soft, crumbling oligocene sandstones of the northern Hungarian Central Range, dominated by [Festuca pallens], with [Potentilla arenaria], and other perennial species, including [Carex humilis], [Minuartia setacea], [Alyssum montanum].


description:
Subcontinental xero-thermophile rock-ledge grasslands of strongly insolated calcareous rocks of the lower and median montane level of the eastern Carpathian system, in particular, of the inner valleys of the Apuseni mountains and the Southern Carpathians, with [Festuca pallens], [Melica ciliata], [Sedum hispanicum], [Thalictrum foetidum], [Helianthemum canum], [Sempervivum marmoreum], [Jovibarba heuffelii], [Thymus comosus], [Dianthus henteri], [Taraxacum hoppeanum], [Carduus candicans].


description:
Central European subcontinental xero-thermophile grasslands of siliceous collinar and montane rock ledges.


hname:
Hercynian siliceous pale fescue grasslands

description:
Species-rich subcontinental open rock-ledge grasslands of siliceous substrates of the Bohemian Quadrangle and neighbouring regions, developed on shallow acid, weakly or sometimes neutral soils in stations, particularly south-facing slopes, submitted to extreme temperaturature variations, drought and wind action, with [Festuca pallens], [Galium valdepilosum], [Seseli osseum], [Hieracium schmidtii], [Hieracium mougeotii], [Onosma helvetica ssp. austriacum], [Aurinia saxatilis], [Helianthemum nummularium], [Sedum rupestre], [Jovibarba sobolifera], [Dianthus gratianopolitanus], [Dianthus moravicus], [Allium senescens ssp. montanum].


hname:
Circum-Pannonic siliceous pale fescue grasslands

description:
Subcontinental open or semi-open rock-ledge grasslands of siliceous substrates of the Hungarian Central Range, of southern Slovakia, the Carpathic Ukraine and Transylvania, with [Festuca pseudodalmatica], [Stipa crassiculmis ssp. euroanatolica], [Poa pannonica], [Hierochloe australis], [Hierochloe hirta], [Asplenium adiantum-nigrum], [Cheilanthes marantae] ([Notholaena marantae]), [Centaurea coziensis], [Crupina vulgaris], [Genista januensis], [Hieracium pavichii], [Lathyrus nissolia], [Medicago rigidula], [Minuartia hirsuta ssp. frutescens], [Orlaya grandiflora], [Sempervivum marmoreum], [Sedum hispanicum].


hname:
Pannonic siliceous spleenwort-melick rock grasslands

description:
Loosely-organized rock-ledge grassland communities of andesite and granite outcrops of the northern Hungarian Central Range, of southern Slovakia, of the Apuseni mountains and of the Southern Carpathians, comprising [Melica ciliata], [Polypodium vulgare], [Sempervivum marmoreum], [Sedum acre], [Asplenium septentrionale], [Asplenium brevnii] and [Woodsia ilvensis].


hname:
Pannonic [Festuca pseudodalmatica] rock grasslands

description:
Open xero-thermophile grasslands of the northern Hungarian Central Range, the Slovakian Metallic Mountains and Kovacover Hills, installed on shallow soils of silicate rocks and sharing features of both rock swards and steppe grasslands, dominated by [Festuca pseudodalmatica], [Potentilla arenaria], [Seseli osseum], [Thymus glabrescens], [Koeleria cristata], [Asplenium trichomanes], [Achillea nobilis ssp. neilreichii], [Dianthus carthusianorum] and harbouring many species of high conservation value, including [Minuartia frutescens], [Saxifraga paniculata], [Alyssum saxatile].


hname:
Transylvanian [Festuca pseudodalmatica] rock grasslands

description:
Open xero-thermophile grasslands of moderately sloping extremely insolated rocks, mostly breccias, of the Southern Carpathians, dominated by [Festuca pseudodalmatica] and [Minuartia frutescens], with the locally characteristic species [Genista januensis], [Alyssum murale], [Veronica bachofenii] and [Hieracium pavichii].


hname:
Pannonic meadowgrass pale fescue grasslands

description:
Xeric, thermophile grasslands of the northern Hungarian Central Range and of Slovakia, installed on rocks of eruptive origin, notably diabase, gabbro, with Pannonic species [Poa pannonica], [Festuca pallens], [Melica ciliata], [Allium montanum], [Allium flavum], [Sempervivum hirtum], [Sempervivum marmoreum], [Potentilla arenaria], [Thymus praecox], [Veronica spicata], [Asplenium trichomanes], and characterized by a well developed moss and lichen layer including [Rhizocarpon geographicum], [Parmelia conspersa], [Parmelia pulvinaris], [Grimmia leucophaea], [Grimmia fragrans].


description:
Closed, dry perennial grasslands of eutrophic soils within the meso- and thermo-Mediterranean zones of the western Mediterranean basin, often on post-cultural land, formed by relatively tall grasses and usually dominated by [Brachypodium phoenicoides], with, among many others, [Phleum bertolonii] ([Phleum nodosum], [Phleum pratense]), [Elymus repens], [Carex divisa], [Carthamus lanatus], [Diplotaxis viminea], [Echinops ritro], [Euphorbia serrata], [Echium vulgare], [Echium pustulatum], [Erodium acaule], [Galactites tomentosa], [Lepidium graminifolium], [Medicago orbicularis], [Salvia verbenaca], [Foeniculum vulgare], [Pallenis spinosa], [Psoralea bituminosa], [Seseli tortuosum], [Tragopogon australis], [Scabiosa atropurpurea], [Verbascum sinuatum], [Picris hieracioides], [Calamintha nepeta], [Centaurea aspera], [Vicia hybrida], [Phlomis herba-venti] and many orchids.


description:
Steppic grasslands of serpentine outcrops, dispersed over a wide range in Central Europe and the Balkan peninsula. Open communities in shallow stony soils or eroded sites. Serpentine outcrops also exist in northwestern Europe, in Tuscany and in mediterranean Greece (Euboa); steppic grasslands have not formed on them or are less strongly individualised than those described here.


description:
Grassland communities from the alliance [Festucion valesiacae] of the Pannonic region, rich on [Stipa] species ([Stipa capillata], [Stipa pulcherrima], [Stipa joannis]) and herbaceous dicotyledonous species including, among others, [Salvia nemorosa], [Salvia austriaca], [Filipendula vulgaris], [Astragalus austriacus], [Astragalus exscapus], [Phlomis tuberosa], [Crambe tatarica], [Galium verum], [Ajuga genevensis], [Dianthus pontederae], [Thymus glabrescens], and grasses, [Festuca rupicola], [Koeleria macrantha], established on, notably, loess ridges formed by fluviatile erosion and accumulation. These rare communities are sensitive to grazing and trampling and have been extensively transformed into other grassland types.


description:
Primary species-rich, relatively closed, multi-strata steppic grasslands, on deep chernozems, the main Pannonic representative of the steppes of Central Eurasia, composed mainly of [Festuca rupicola], [Stipa capillata], [Koeleria cristata], [Poa angustifolia], [Bromus inermis], [Elymus hispidus], [Achillea pannonica], [Taraxacum serotinum], [Viola ambigua], [Astragalus onobrychis], [Chamaecytisus austriacus], [Chamaecytisus supinus], [Adonis vernalis], [Veronica austriaca], [Veronica prostrata], [Vinca herbacea], [Asperula glauca], [Allium paniculatum], with [Nepeta parviflora], [Silene longiflora], [Ajuga laxmannii], [Astragalus dasyanthus], [Astragalus vesicarius], [Astragalus exscapus], [Astragalus austriacus], [Salvia nemorosa], [Salvia nutans], [Echium maculatum]. Originally widely distributed throughout the loess plateau of the Pannonic basin and at the foot of the Hungarian Central Range, but now reduced only to small fragments because of intensive agricultural activity. This habitat is of major conservation importance and harbours numerous rare and threatened taxa, including, among flowering plants, [Crambe tataria], [Adonis transsylvanica], [Thlaspi jankae], [Brassica elongata].


description:
Species-rich, relatively closed, multi-strata steppic grasslands of the periphery of the Hungarian Central Range, developed on deep chernozems at the 200-300 metre level, formed by a species cortège shared in large part with the steppes of 31.911 but including numerous tall forbs that confer to it an even greater meadow-like appearance, dominated by or rich in [Festuca rupicola], [Poa angustifolia], [Pulsatilla zimmermannii], [Phlomis tuberosa], [Trifolium montanum], [Trifolium alpestre], [Stachys officinalis] ([Betonica officinalis]), [Cytisus albus], [Arenaria micradenia], [Dianthus glabriusculus], [Salvia pratensis], and with the rare and threatened [Onosma tornensis], [Thlaspi jankae].


description:
Open, semidesert-like pioneering community of loess walls of the Pannonic basin, comprising regional species [Agropyron pectinatum], [Brassica elongata], [Adonis flammea] with [Kochia prostrata], [Artemisia pontica], [Stipa capillata], [Centaurea micranthos], [Iris pumila], [Xeranthemum annuum].


description:
Secondary grasslands of wide present distribution in the Pannonic basin, developed mainly on sites previously occupied by primary steppes and forests of wooded steppe zone, with a grazing-induced simplified stratification and resulting predominance of low grasses and forbs, in particular, [Cynodon dactylon], [Carex supina], [Achillea collina], [Bromus mollis], [Falcaria vulgaris], [Bothriochloa ischaemum], [Pimpinella saxifraga], [Agrimonia eupatoria], and presence of weeds such as [Echium vulgare], [Convolvulus arvensis], [Plantago lanceolata], [Veronica arvensis].


description:
Steppes of the plain of the western Black Sea, west of the Dniester, of its associated basins, including those of the lower Danube, of Transylvania and of northern Thrace, of the southern edge and valleys of the Podolian, Central Russian and Volga plateaux, with [Stipa capillata], [Kochia prostrata], [Koeleria lobata] ([Koeleria degenii]), [Stipa lessingiana], [Festuca valesiaca], [Dichanthium ischaemum] ([Bothriochloa ischaemum]), [Medicago minima], [Brachypodium pinnatum].


description:
Steppes of the plain of the western Black Sea, west of the Dniester, of the basin of the lower Danube and of the northern Thracian basin of the middle Maritsa and the Tundzha, with [Pimpinella tragium], [Thymus zygioides], [Stipa lessingiana], [Stipa capillata], [Agropyron pectiniforme].


description:
Steppes of the southern edge and valleys of the Podolian, Central Russian and Volga plateaux, forming a wooded steppe belt north of the Pontic plains, extending west to the upper Prut basin of Romanian Moldavia and east to the Volga-Kama trough, composed of [Stipa lessingiana], [Stipa joannis], [Stipa pulcherrima], [Stipa ucrainica], [Koeleria macrantha], [Agropyron cristatum], [Festuca valesiaca], [Astragalus onobrychis].


description:
Steppes of the northern Black Sea-Sea of Azov plain, of the basins of the Dnieper and the Don, extending west to the Dniestr, northeast to the Volga, east to the Caspian deserts and semideserts, southeast to the pre-Caucasian hills in the basins of the Kouban, the Manytch, the upper Kuma and upper Terek.


description:
Steppes of the Anatolian Plateau, of Transcaucasia, of the eastern cis-Caucasian hills of Daghestan and the Terek basin, of the Iranian Plateau, the Kopet Dagh, the Pamir-Alai, the extreme western Tien-Shan, around the rim of the Ferghana basin and along the spur of the Karatau, and of northern Mesopotamia.


description:
Formations dominated by medium or tall perennial tuft-forming grasses or suffrutescents, with lacunar ground cover, together with their associated therophyte communities developed on moving or fixed sands within the range of the Pannonic steppes (unit E1.2C), thus in the Pannonic basin and the areas of preponderant influence of its communities. Most of these formations are associated with inland dune systems and relate to unit E1.99 and its subdivisions.


description:
Therophyte-dominated stages of the first succession phase in the colonisation of Pannonic sands, and in particular of Pannonic dunes (E1.99), characterized by a very thin, low cover of mostly ephemeral, early-blooming annuals of small stature, among which [Bromus mollis], [Bromus tectorum], [Bromus squarrosus], [Medicago minima], [Cerastium brachypetalum], [Erophila verna], [Plantago indica], [Saxifraga tridactylites], [Poa annua], [Poa bulbosa], [Viola kitaibeliana], [Lithospermum arvense], [Corispermum nitidum], [Polygonum arenarium], with a few species of longer seasonal visibility, such as [Equisetum ramosissimum var. altissimum], [Alyssum tortuosum], [Sedum acre], [Cynodon dactylon].


description:
Pioneer sand-swards of the northern Pannonic basin, dominated by [Bromus tectorum], with [Koeleria glauca], [Secale sylvestre], [Cynodon dactylon], [Polygonum arenarium], [Sedum urvillei], [Kochia laniflora], [Plantago arenaria], [Helichrysum arenarium], [Alyssum montanum ssp. gmelinii], [Alyssum alyssoides].


description:
Pioneer sand-swards of the southern Pannonic basin, in particular of the Deliblat sand-steppe, dominated by [Corispermum nitidum] and [Polygonum arenarium].


description:
Pioneer sand-swards of the Pannonic basin, well characterized in the Seewinkel, dominated by [Equisetum ramosissimum], with [Scirpus holoschoenus] and small herbs.


description:
More or less open grasslands constituting the second stage of succession in the colonisation of Pannonic sands, in particular of Pannonic dunes (unit E1.99), best characterized in Hungary and the Vojvodina, with representatives in southern Slovakia, northeastern Austria and western Romania, dominated by the perennial grasses [Festuca vaginata], [Stipa capillata], [Stipa borysthenica], [Cleistogenes serotina], [Koeleria glauca], [Koeleria cristata], [Carex liparocarpos], accompanied by [Euphorbia seguierana], [Alkanna tinctoria], [Alyssum montanum ssp. gmelinii], [Dianthus serotinus], [Dianthus diutinus], [Gypsophila paniculata], [Scabiosa ochroleuca], [Astragalus austriacus], [Astragalus onobrychis], [Erysimum diffusum], [Fumana procumbens], [Minuartia glomerata], [Minuartia verna].


description:
More or less open grasslands constituting the second stage of succession in the colonisation of calcareous Pannonic sands, in particular of Pannonic dunes (E1.99), dominated by [Festuca vaginata] or feathergrasses ([Stipa capillata], [Stipa borysthenica]).


description:
More or less open grasslands of calcareous Pannonic sands dominated by [Festuca vaginata].


hname:
Southeastern Iberian pre-desert annual communities

description:
Ephemeral annual grasses and flowering plants formations of the arid Iberian southeast, appearing among the pre-desert scrub communities of unit F5.55.


description:
Formations of small annuals developing on gypsum soils of interior Iberia, among the gypsum-scrub communities of unit F6.71.


description:
Formations of annual grasses and flowering plants colonizing dolomites, ophiolites, peridotites and serpentines of Andalusia, developing among garrigue communities of F5.58.


description:
Formations of annual grasses and flowering plants of Sicily, the Maltese Islands, Linosa, Lampedusa and Pantelleria, sometimes subhalophile, developed on steep slopes, exposed crests, coastal rocks and volcanic material, often among the rocky shore communities of B3.33 or the pre-desert scrub of F5.55.


hname:
Northern Sicilian aster annual communities

description:
[Aster sorrentinii] formations of steep clay and marl slopes of northern Sicily.


description:
Annual grasses and flowering plants formations accompanying the [Lygeum spartum] steppes of southern Calabria and Sicily.


description:
Very open formations colonizing, within the supra-Mediterranean steppe zone of the Causses  (unit E1.51), local deposits of dolomitic sands, characterized by [Armeria girardii] ([Armeria juncea]), [Arenaria aggregata], [Helianthemum pilosum], [Sedum ochroleucum], [Alkanna tinctoria], [Alyssum serpyllifolium], [Helichrysum stoechas], [Silene otites], [Aster alpinus], [Festuca christianii-bernardii], [Corynephorus canescens], [Phleum arenarium].


description:
Iberian xerophile, intensively grazed pastures of both siliceous and calcareous substrates, dominated by short, perennial grasses, rich in specialised annuals, in particular peas and composites.


description:
Meso- and thermo-Mediterranean xerophile, short-grass perennial grasslands and therophyte communities of oligotrophic soils on base-rich substrates of continental, peninsular and insular Greece, of the Balkan peninsula, of western Asia and of Crimea.


description:
Grasslands of the Balkan peninsula, Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean region dominated by [Brachypodium retusum] and with many therophytes and geophytes, often alternating in mosaic fashion with garrigues and phryganas or occupying their clearings.


hname:
Helleno-Balkanic short grass and therophyte communities

description:
Open, short, grasslands of thermo- and meso-mediterranean areas of Greece and its islands and of the Balkan peninsula, with numerous annual grasses such as [Bromus fasciculatus], [Bromus madritensis], [Bromus intermedius], [Bromus alopecuros], [Bromus rubens], [Brachypodium distachyon], [Aegilops neglecta], [Aegilops geniculata], [Aegilops triuncialis], [Avena sterilis], [Avena barbata], [Lagurus ovatus], [Cynosurus echinatus], [Stipa capensis], but sometimes with a strong representation of short or medium-sized perennial grasses such as [Hyparrhenia hirta], [Andropogon distachyos], [Cynodon dactylon], [Dactylis hispanica]. They are very rich in annual flowering plants, among which of genera [Euphorbia], [Silene], [Nigella], [Adonis], [Papaver], [Fumaria], [Biscutella], [Rapistrum], [Althaea], [Malva], [Linum], [Geranium], [Astragalus], [Ononis], [Trigonella], [Medicago], [Melilotus], [Trifolium], [Lotus], [Coronilla], [Scorpiurus], [Hedysarum], [Onobrychis], [Bupleurum], [Daucus], [Anagallis], [Orobanche], [Plantago], [Centaurium], [Galium], [Evax], [Filago], [Pallenis], [Anthemis], [Chrysanthemum], [Tragopogon], suffrutescent labiates of genera [Teucrium], [Thymus], [Ballota], [Phlomis], [Micromeria], [Salvia] and others, and geophytes such as [Urginea maritima], [Asphodelus microcarpus], [Lloydia graeca], [Allium] spp., [Ornithogalum] spp., [Muscari] spp., [Romulea] spp., [Orchis] spp., [Ophrys] spp., [Anacamptis pyramidalis]. They constitute a wide array of distinctive communities, many of them very local and restricted to small surfaces. Many of the more extensive pastures, in particular those dominated by annual grasses, are subnitrophilous or nitrophilous and may be better classified under unit 34.8.


hname:
Asio-Mediterranean short grass and therophyte communities

description:
Open, short, grasslands of thermo- and meso-Mediterranean areas of Cyprus, Anatolia and the Levant, with annual grasses, in particular, [Stipa capensis] ([Stipa tortilis]) and [Brachypodium distachyon] and often a representation of short or medium-sized perennial grasses, rich in annual flowering plants and geophytes.


hname:
Mediterranean tall-grass and wormwood ([Artemisia]) steppes

description:
Meso-, thermo- and sometimes supra-Mediterranean formations of the Mediterranean basin, physiognomically dominated by tall grasses, between which may grow communities of annuals or sometimes chamaephytes. They include silicicolous as well as basiphile formations. In the Mediterranean region proper, they are most characteristic of the Iberian peninsula and of the Mediterranean rim of Anatolia, with local representations in southern Provence, Sardinia, southern peninsular Italy, Sicily and Greece. In the semiarid regions between the Mediterranean and the deserts of western Asia, they dominate the landscape, forming a major steppe belt in which low scrub of [Artemisia] may be prominent.


description:
[Stipa tenacissima]-dominated formations of the Mediterranean basin.


description:
[Lygeum spartum]-dominated formations of North Africa, the Ebro basin, the arid Iberian Southeast, the Guadalquivir basin, Sardinia, Sicily, the Maltese Islands, southern Italy and Crete.


description:
Sometimes extensive [Lygeum spartum]-dominated formations of the Ebro basin, the arid Iberian Southeast and the Guadalquivir basin.


description:
More restricted [Lygeum spartum]-dominated formations of Sardinia, southern Italy, Sicily and the Maltese Islands.


description:
Rare and isolated [Lygeum spartum]-dominated formations of the south coast of Crete.


hname:
Mediterranean steppes dominated by tall grasses other than alpha or esparto

description:
Mediterranean tall-grass steppes dominated by tall grasses other than [Stipa tenacissima] or [Lygeum spartum].


description:
[Stipa gigantea]-dominated formations of central and southern Spain and of northwestern North Africa, mostly on siliceous soils.


description:
Meso- and thermo-Mediterranean formations of North Africa, Spain, Italy, southern France, Greece, the southern Balkans and western Asia, dominated by tall perennial grasses of genera [Stipa] ([Stipa lagascae], [Stipa offneri i.a].) or [Piptatherum] ([Oryzopsis]), other than the very tall [Stipa tenacissima] or [Stipa gigantea].


description:
Formations of North Africa, Italy, Spain and Greece, dominated by [Ampelodesmos mauritanica]; many chamaephyte and diss formations have the physiognomy of a garrigue or a brush and have been listed under F5.53.


description:
Meso- and thermo-Mediterranean steppes of North Africa, Spain, southern France, Italy and the central Mediterranean islands, Greece, the Balkans and western Asia, constituted by cespitose andropogonid grasses such as [Hyparrhenia hirta], [Andropogon distachyos], [Heteropogon contortus], [Dichanthium insculptum], [Dichanthium ischaemum] ([Andropogon ischaemum], [Bothriochloa ischaemum]) or [Chrysopogon gryllus].


description:
Meso- and thermo-Mediterranean steppes of Spain constituted by cespitose andropogonid grasses such as [Hyparrhenia hirta], [Andropogon distachyos], [Heteropogon contortus], [Dichanthium insculptum], [Dichanthium ischaemum] or [Chrysopogon gryllus].


description:
Meso- and thermo-Mediterranean steppes of southern France constituted by cespitose andropogonid grasses such as [Hyparrhenia hirta], [Andropogon distachyos], [Heteropogon contortus], [Dichanthium insculptum], [Dichanthium ischaemum] or [Chrysopogon gryllus].


hname:
Central Mediterranean andropogonid grass steppes

description:
Meso- and thermo-Mediterranean steppes of Italy and the central Mediterranean islands constituted by cespitose andropogonid grasses such as [Hyparrhenia hirta], [Andropogon distachyos], [Heteropogon contortus], [Dichanthium insculptum], [Dichanthium ischaemum] or [Chrysopogon gryllus].


description:
Meso-, thermo- and sub-Mediterranean steppes of Greece and the southern Balkan peninsula, north to Albania and the F.Y.R. of Macedonia, constituted by cespitose andropogonid grasses such as [Dichanthium ischaemum], [Hyparrhenia hirta], [Andropogon distachyos], or [Chrysopogon gryllus]. They are continued in Bulgaria by the steppic grasslands of unit E1.234 , and in the western Balkan peninsula by tall-grass steppic grasslands of units E1.551, E1.552 and E1.553, in particular, of unit E1.5524. They are represented farther north in the southern Alpine region by grasslands of unit E1.267.


description:
Meso- and thermo-mediterranean steppes of the Anatolian plateau, of the adjacent western Asian mediterranean lowlands and of Cyprus, constituted by cespitose andropogonid grasses such as [Hyparrhenia hirta], [Andropogon distachyos], [Heteropogon contortus], [Dichanthium insculptum], [Dichanthium ischaemum] or [Chrysopogon gryllus].


description:
Meso- and supra-Mediterranean grasslands of the Baetic region dominated by the tall, cespitose [Festuca scariosa], [Festuca capillifolia], [Arrhenatherum album], [Helictotrichon filifolium] and [Helictotrichon sarracenorum].


description:
Formations of calcareous and dolomitic soils of the Serrania de Ronda mountain system, the peripheral ranges of the Sierra Nevada and the Sierra de Alhamilla in southern Spain.


description:
Formations of siliceous soils of the Sierra Nevada, the Sierra de Cabrera and the Sierra de Alhamilla in southern Spain.


description:
Formations of siliceous soils of the Sierra de Carrascoy (Murcia, Spain).


description:
Meso-, thermo- and sometimes supra-Mediterranean formations of the Mediterranean basin, physiognomically dominated by very tall, robust, canelike grasses of genera [Imperata], [Saccharum], [Arundo], [Hemarthria].


description:
[Artemisia]-dominated formations of the steppic regions of the North African and West Asian transition zones between the Mediterranean region and the Saharo-Arabian deserts.


description:
Open perennial grasslands, often rich in chamaephytes, most characteristic of the thermophilous oak level of Iberia, southern France, southern Italy, Greece and the Balkans. Some of the largest remaining expanses of unbroken grasslands in Europe, of evident importance as faunal habitats, belong to this division. Maintained by extensive grazing and mowing.


description:
Sparse or discontinuous xerophile grasslands of [Stipa pennata], [Festuca auquieri] ([Festuca duriuscula]), [Festuca hervieri], [Koeleria vallesiana] or [Sesleria albicans var. elegantissima] with [Helianthemum apenninum], [Helianthemum canum], [Genista] spp., [Globularia] spp., [Ononis striata], [Euphorbia seguierana], [Potentilla crantzii], [Thymus dolomiticus], [Plantago argentea], [Rosa pimpinellifolia], [Dianthus sylvestris], [Lavandula angustifolia], [Aster alpinus], [Anthyllis] spp., [Carex humilis], best developed in the Causses, but also present locally in Provence and Languedoc, from the Alps to Catalonia.


description:
Steppes dominated by [Stipa pennata], with [Festuca auquieri], [Koeleria vallesiana], [Brachypodium pinnatum], [Ononis striata], occupying vast expanses of the Causses, and locally represented on crests and plateaux of Haute Provence, the southwestern Alps and the Corbières.


description:
More closed [Sesleria albicans var. elegantissima]-dominated grasslands occupying usually exiguous surfaces of somewhat shaded slopes, ledges, rocky corridors and snow-retaining cliff-bases in the Causses and other low mountains of the Mediterranean periphery of southern France and Catalonia, in particular Montserrat, the Corbières, the montagne d'Alaric and western Provence.


description:
Mediterraneo-montane steppe-grasslands poor in [Stipa pennata], for the most part [Festuca auquieri]-, [Koeleria vallesiana]- or [Carex humilis]-dominated facies of E1.511.


description:
Open formations with [Artemisia alba] and [Hyssopus officinalis], rich in chamaephytes, of eroded steep slopes of the Causses (France), harbouring, in particular, [Convolvulus cantabrica] and [Allium flavum]; similar formations of the southwestern Alps appear best included in the subcontinental steppe-grasslands (unit E1.24).


hname:
Blue grass lily grassland and supra-Mediterranean steppes

description:
Coarse or steppe-like grasslands rich in chamaephytes of pronounced Mediterranean affinities formed as a degradation stage of thermophile deciduous oak forests, or of [Quercus rotundifolia] forests, in the supra-Mediterranean belt of Iberia, southern France and Liguria; grassland facies of the supra-Mediterranean garrigues (F6.6) and hedgehog heaths (F7.4).


description:
Supra-Mediterranean and montane psychroxerophile, open perennial grasslands of the Cantabrian and Iberian ranges particularly characteristic of frost-fashioned, snow-free, superficial soils of the [Juniperus thurifera] and [Juniperus sabina] environments, rich in [Festuca hystrix], [Festuca burnatii], [Poa ligulata] and with, among others, [Armeria bigerrensis ssp. legionensis], [Arenaria aggregata ssp. cantabrica], [Centaurea janeri ssp. babiana], [Draba cantabrica], [Saxifraga conifera], [Ononis striata], [Ononis cristata], [Ononis pusilla], [Coronilla minima], [Paronychia kapela ssp. serpyllifolia], [Helianthemum canum], [Carex humilis]. They ascend to the oro-mediterranean level and extend southeast to the eastern Baetic chains.


hname:
Central and southern Apennine dry grassland

description:
Open grasslands of calcareous substrates of the middle and southern Apennines, southern vicariant of the [Xerobromion], with [Bromus erectus], [Sideritis syriaca] and many Apennine endemics or subendemics such as [Crepis lacera], [Centaurea rupestris ssp. ceratophylla], [Phleum ambiguum], [Carex macrolepis]. Many distinctive communities exist in this unit, some still covering vast expanses of land of exceptional biological significance such as Campo Imperatore in the Gran Sasso range; a few examples are cited below, others may be added.


description:
Open, xeric grasslands on carbonate rocks or flysh of the sub-Mediterranean zones of Trieste, Istria, the Balkan peninsula and of the [Ostryo-Carpinion] zone of Greece, where they coexist with steppic grasslands of the [Festucetalia valesiacae] (unit E1.21), developing in areas of lesser continentality than the latter, and incorporating a greater Mediterranean element than they do; like the steppic grasslands, however, they are often dominated by [Carex humilis] or [Festuca rupicola]. Maintained by extensive mowing or grazing, they are invaded by tall herbs after abandonment.


description:
Sub-Mediterranean xeric grasslands of the warmer lowlands and hills of the Balkan and northern Hellenic peninsulas, within the [Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis aegeicum] and [Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis adriaticum] zones.


description:
Sub-Mediterranean xeric grasslands of the [Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis aegeicum] zone of northern Greece, the southern F.Y.R. of Macedonia and southwestern Albania, on the northwestern spurs of the Pindus system.


description:
Sub-Mediterranean xeric grasslands of the [Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis adriaticum] zone of Adriatic Croatia, in Istria and Dalmatia, western Bosnia-Herzegovina, western Montenegro, northwestern and western Albania south to the Vjosa lowlands.


description:
Sub-Mediterranean xeric grasslands of the [Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis adriaticum] zone of the western Balkan peninsula, with [Plantago holosteum ssp. depauperata], [Centaurea tommasinii], [Carlina lanata], [Koeleria splendens], [Festuca trachyphylla], [Festuca valesiaca], [Chrysopogon gryllus], [Stipa bromoides], [Bromus erectus].


description:
Sub-Mediterranean xeric grasslands of strongly eroded slopes of the [Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis adriaticum] zone of Istria and Dalmatia, with [Salvia officinalis], [Campanula sibirica], [Stipa bromoides], [Bromus erectus].


description:
Sub-Mediterranean xeric grasslands of the northern part of the transition zone between the mesomediterranean and [Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis adriaticum] regions of Dalmatia, particularly well developed on the karst of the island of Pag, with [Asphodelus microcarpus], [Chamaecytisus spinescens], [Scutellaria orientalis var. pinnatifida], [Inula candida], [Cirsum acarna], [Chrysopogon gryllus], [Bromus erectus], [Melica ciliata].


description:
Sub-Mediterranean xeric grasslands of the [Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis adriaticum] zone of the Dalmatian archipelago, noted in particular from Pag, with [Armeria dalmatica], [Artemisia alba], [Alyssum montanum], [Helichrysum italicum].


description:
Sub-Mediterranean xeric grasslands of the upper [Ostryo-Carpinion orientalis adriaticum] zone of Dalmatia, with [Satureja montana], [Galium corrudifolium], [Aethionema saxatile], [Artemisia alba], [Melica ciliata], [Bothriochloa ischaemum], [Bromus erectus].


description:
Closed, dry or mesophile, perennial grasslands occupying acid soils in Atlantic or sub-Atlantic lowland, collinar and montane regions of northern Europe, north to Iceland and southern Scandinavia, middle Europe and western Iberia dominated by [Deschampsia flexuosa].


description:
Tall [Calamagrostis epigejos]-dominated facies of siliceous grasslands of Atlantic or sub-Atlantic northern and middle Europe, otherwise described by units E1.71 or E1.72.


description:
Closed acidophilous grasslands of Atlantic or sub-Atlantic lowland, collinar and montane regions of northern Europe, middle Europe and western Iberia dominated by [Carex arenaria], formed as invasion facies of grasslands of units E1.71 and E1.72.


hname:
Dry sub-continental acid steppic grasslands

description:
Closed, floristically quite rich steppe-like perennial grasslands occupying acid soils of Central, East and Southeast Europe, dominated by grasses [Agrostis capillaris], [Festuca valesiaca], [Anthoxanthum odoratum], [Danthonia calycina] and [Chrysopogon gryllus] or species of clover ([Trifolium alpestre.], [T. montanum], [T. pannonicum], [T. pratense], [T. repens], [T. velenovskyi], [T. campestre]).


hname:
Closed Mediterranean dry acid and neutral grassland

description:
Perennial grasslands on acid soils of the supra-Mediterranean zone, dominated by e.g. [Festuca elegans] or [Nardus stricta]. Mediterranean annual-rich siliceous grassland of siliceous gravelly, sandy or silty, usually shallow, soils that remain cohesive during the dry season.


description:
West Mediterranean and Dalmatian annual-rich grasslands of siliceous gravelly, sandy or silty, usually shallow, soils that remain cohesive during the dry season; they are rich in small Fabaceae, in particular of genera, [Trifolium], [Lathyrus], [Ornithopus], [Lupinus], [Anthyllis], [Coronilla] and grasses of genera [Corynephorus], [Aira], [Airopsis], [Molineria], [Vulpia], [Briza], [Anthoxanthum], [Micropyrum]; among characteristic species, shared by eastern and western formations, are [Tuberaria guttata], [Silene gallica], [Linaria pelisseriana], [Plantago bellardii], [Galium divaricatum].


description:
West Mediterranean annual-rich grasslands of siliceous gravelly, sandy or silty, usually shallow, soils that remain cohesive during the dry season; characteristic are [Tuberaria guttata], [Helianthemum sanguineum], [Jasione montana], [Paronychia cymosa], [Paronychia echinulata], [Pterocephalus diandrus], [Prolongoa pectinata], [Senecio minutus], [Tolpis barbata], [Filago gallica], [Filago minima], [Teesdalia coronopifolia], [Sedum caespitosum], [Sedum arenarium], [Sedum andegavense], [Crassula tillaea], [Saxifraga carpetana], [Radiola linoides], [Silene gallica], [Silene psammitis], [Silene portensis], [Linum gallicum], [Linaria pelisseriana], [Linaria arvensis], [Plantago bellardii], [Galium divaricatum], [Trifolium cherleri], [Trifolium strictum], [Trifolium suffocatum], [Trifolium arvense], [Trifolium bocconei], [Trifolium purpureum], [Lathyrus angulatus], [Ornithopus pinnatus], [Ornithopus sativus], [Lupinus hispanicus], [Lupinus angustifolius], [Anthyllis cornicina], [Coronilla dura] and the grasses [Corynephorus divaricatus], [Aira cupaniana], [Aira tenorii], [Aira caryophyllea], [Airopsis tenella], [Molineria minuta], [Molineria laevis], [Vulpia geniculata], [Vulpia membranacea], [Vulpia bromoides], [Vulpia myuros], [Briza maxima], [Anthoxanthum aristatum], [Micropyrum tenellum].


description:
Uncommon acidophile annual-rich grasslands of Dalmatia occupying small, insularised surfaces on colluvions and red earths of the Dalmatian karst and on southern Dalmatian sands; characteristic are [Tuberaria guttata], [Filago vulgaris], [Silene gallica], [Linaria pelisseriana], [Plantago bellardii], [Galium parisiense], [Hypochoeris radicata], [Cynanchum contiguum], [Crepis sancta], [Trifolium cherleri], [Trifolium lappaceum], [Trifolium subterraneum], [Trifolium stellatum], [Trifolium glomeratum], [Trifolium nigrescens], [Trifolium angustifolium], [Lathyrus sphaericus], [Ornithopus compressus], [Lupinus micranthus], [Lupinus lacromensis], [Luzula campestris] and the grasses [Aira elegans], [Vulpia ligustica], [Vulpia bromoides], [Vulpia myuros], [Briza maxima], [Anthoxanthum ovatum], [Gastridium ventricosum], [Gaudinia fragilis], [Phleum echinatum], [Psilurus aristatus]; the orchids [Ophrys apifera], [Ophrys oestrifera], [Spiranthes spiralis] are recorded.


description:
Perennial grasslands dominated by the tall cespitose [Festuca elegans] of the supra-Mediterranean [Quercus pyrenaica] level of the Cordillera Central and Sierra Nevada with, among others, [Geum heterocarpum], [Trifolium ochroleucon] and [Paeonia coriacea] of deep, siliceous soils.


description:
[Nardus stricta]-dominated grasslands and related communities of the supra-mediterranean level of the mountains of the Mediterranean peninsulas, either developed on siliceous soils, or, rarely, on calcareous substrates.


description:
Supra-mediterranean acidophilous communities rich in [Nardus stricta] with an accompanying cortège similar to that of the Iberian subalpine [Campanulo-Nardion] (unit E4.36), rather than to that of the Atlantic and sub-Atlantic [Violion caninae] (unit E1.7), occurring in particular in the [Quercus pyrenaica] level of the Cordillera Central.


hname:
Southern Italian mat-grass swards and related communities

description:
Closed, mesophile grasslands of depressions, flats and snow patches of the beech level of the southern Apennines, with [Luzula multiflora], [Luzula pindica], [Anthoxanthum odoratum], [Festuca rubra], [Festuca varia] s.l., [Festuca violacea], [Bellardiochloa violacea] ([Poa violacea]), [Alopecurus gerardii], [Danthonia decumbens], [Phleum alpinum], [Carex leporina], [Hypochoeris laevigata], [Dianthus deltoides], [Nardus stricta], [Crocus vernus], [Sedum atratum], [Euphrasia minima], [Ajuga tenorii] ([Ajuga acaulis]), [Potentilla neumanniana var. rigoana], [Potentilla argentea var. calabra], [Ranunculus sartorianus], [Ranunculus polyanthemos ssp. thomasii], [Meum athamanticum], [Asphodelus albus var. pollinensis], [Plantago brutia], [Pedicularis petiolaris], [Omalotheca sylvatica] ([Gnaphalium sylvaticum]), [Cirsium vallis-demoni], [Viola calcarata], [Armeria majellensis]; they are widespread in the siliceous Sila range and also occur on deep decalcified soils of the piani of the calcareous Pollino range.


description:
Closed [Nardus stricta]-dominated grasslands of the [Fagion moesiacum] zone of the Balkan peninsula.


hname:
Open non-Mediterranean dry acid and neutral grassland, including inland dune grassland

description:
Open grassland, often with therophytes, of the nemoral, boreonemoral and submediterranean zones, developed on raw non-calcareous soils, especially on inland dunes and fixed sands.


description:
Pioneer formations of typically dwarf annuals, often ephemeral and of very limited extent, characteristic in particular of fixed sands, of Atlantic, sub-Atlantic and supra-Mediterranean Europe, with [Aira caryophyllea], [Aira praecox], [Micropyrum tenellum] ([Nardurus lachenalii]), [Vulpia bromoides], [Vulpia myuros], [Trisetum ovatum], [Filago arvensis], [Filago gallica], [Filago lutescens], [Filago minima], [Filago pyramidata], [Filago vulgaris], [Spergula morisonii], [Hypochoeris glabra], [Evax carpetana], [Moenchia erecta], [Scleranthus polycarpos], [Teesdalia nudicaulis], [Myosotis discolor], [Myosotis stricta], [Linaria elegans], [Linaria amethystea], [Sedum lagascae], [Sedum pedicellatum], [Ornithopus perpusillus], [Trifolium striatum], [Trifolium arvense], [Trifolium dubium], [Trifolium campestre], [Trifolium micranthum], [Tuberaria guttata]; typical former crop-following species also find a refuge in these communities.


description:
Open or semi-open grasslands of fixed sands and dry ground of Atlantic and sub-Atlantic Europe dominated by perennial grasses such as [Agrostis capillaris], [Agrostis vinealis], [Agrostis delicatula], [Agrostis durieui], [Agrostis castellana], [Poa angustifolia], [Anthoxanthum odoratum], [Festuca filiformis], [Corynephorus canescens], [Calamagrostis epigejos] or [Carex arenaria], usually succeeding to formations of unit E1.91 or E1.93 and constituting a transition towards closed grasslands of unit E1.7.


hname:
Grey hair grass ([Corynephorus]) grassland

description:
Very open grasslands of mobile or poorly fixed sands of Atlantic and sub-Atlantic Europe, dominated by [Corynephorus canescens], sometimes by [Leymus arenarius] or [Carex arenaria]; most are dunal and relate to other subunits of unit E1.9 (E1.94-E1.9E).


description:
Formations of unstable Germano-Baltic fluvioglacial inland sands with [Corynephorus canescens], [Carex arenaria], [Spergula morisonii], [Teesdalia nudicaulis] and carpets of fruticose lichens ([Cladonia], [Cetraria]) (cf. unit E1.93). Communities of Jutland are rich in [Ammophila arenaria].


description:
Grasslands of more stabilised Germano-Baltic fluvioglacial inland dune systems with [Agrostis] spp. and [Corynephorus canescens] or other acidophilous grasses. Related units are found in E1.7, E1.91 and E1.92.


description:
Formations of the immediate vicinity of great rivers within the North Sea-Baltic plain, comprising, besides the communities of E1.94 and E1.95, slightly calcareous grasslands of E1.12 and E1.28.


description:
Dunes of the great rivers of middle Europe (Seine, Loire, Saone, upper Rhine, upper Elbe). A small remnant exists in the Po plain of northern Italy. Like the fluvioglacial dunes of northern Europe, they carry specialised and rare ecosystems and are highly vulnerable. They are much more calcareous than the northern inland dunes and their grasslands (units E1.12, E1.28 i.a.) have a substeppic character contrasting with that of neighbouring regions.


description:
Remnants of the once vast Breckland inland dune system, of similar glacial origin to that of the continental fluvioglacial dunes under units E1.94-E1.96, and like them, colonised by acidophilous grasslands and heaths.


description:
Inland dunes of the Pannonic plain and of neighbouring basins, northwest to the Marchfeld and fragmentary on blown sands of Borska nizina lowland. During the spring ephemeral therophytes prevail, while grasses and lichens dominate during autumn. Xerophilous siliceous grasslands are characterised by the communities of alliances [Corynephorion canescentis] and [Festucion vaginatae] and species [Corynephorus canescens], [Festuca vaginata], [Koeleria glauca], [Thymus serpyllum] and [Ceratodon purpureus].


description:
Initial stage of renewal of the surface of wandering dunes, devoid or almost devoid of phanerogamic vegetation, in which the bare sand surface is usually covered by a thin film of soil algae and supports the fungus [Psatirella ammophyla].


description:
Lichen-dominated earliest stage of the first succession phase of colonisation of Pannonic dunes, with [Cladonia convoluta], [Cladonia furcata], [Cladonia magyarica] and the bryophytes [Syntrichia ruralis], [Tortula spp].


description:
Therophyte-dominated later stages of the first succession phase in the colonisation of the Pannonic dunes, characterized by a very thin, low cover of mostly ephemeral, early-blooming annuals of small stature, among which [Bromus mollis], [Bromus tectorum], [Bromus squarrosus], [Medicago minima], [Cerastium brachypetalum], [Erophila verna], [Plantago indica], [Saxifraga tridactylites], [Poa annua], [Poa bulbosa], [Viola kitaibeliana], [Lithospermum arvense], [Corispermum nitidum], [Polygonum arenarium], with a few more perennials such as [Equisetum ramosissimum var. altissimum], [Alyssum tortuosum], [Sedum acre], [Cynodon dactylon].


description:
More or less open grasslands constituting the second stage of succession in the colonisation of Pannonic dunes, dominated by the perennial grasses [Festuca vaginata], [Stipa capillata], [Stipa borysthenica], [Cleistogenes serotina], [Koeleria glauca], [Koeleria cristata], [Carex liparocarpos], accompanied by [Euphorbia seguierana], [Alkanna tinctoria], [Alyssum montanum ssp. gmelinii], [Dianthus serotinus], [Dianthus diutinus], [Gypsophila paniculata], [Scabiosa ochroleuca], [Astragalus austriacus], [Astragalus onobrychis], [Erysimum diffusum], [Fumana procumbens], [Minuartia glomerata], [Minuartia verna]; arid sites on flattened plains are characterized by the abundance of lichens and have [Helechrysum arenarium] and [Kochia laniflora]; thermic slopes and tops of dunes support an open community with the shrub [Fumana procumbens], [Astragalus varius], [Helianthemum nummularium], [Scabiosa ochroleuca]; somewhat water-retentive depressions are characterized by [Scirpus holoschoenus] and [Linum hirsutum ssp. glabrescens]; shrub colonisation includes [Juniperus communis], [Berberis vulgaris] and [Salix rosmarinifolia]. Decalcified dune tops and slopes may support more acidophilous formations dominated by [Corynephorus canescens], with [Jasione montana] and [Rumex acetosella ssp. tenuifolia], but also with many species of the calcareous sandy grasslands, including [Festuca vaginata] and [Koeleria glauca].


description:
Closed swards of basophilous, humus- and nutrient-rich, sandy or mixed sand-loessy soils of Pannonic fixed dunes, dominated by [Festuca rupicola], [Festuca wagneri], [Festuca pseudovina] or, in some facies, [Chrysopogon gryllus], with [Carex liparocarpos], [Festuca vaginata], [Agropyron cristatum ssp. pectinatum], [Achillea ochroleuca], [Astragalus asper], [Astragalus onobrychis], [Astragalus exscapus], [Potentilla cinerea], [Muscari botryoides], [Muscari comosum], [Linum austriacum], [Thymus glabrescens], [Iris variegata], [Iris humilis ssp. arenaria], [Colchicum arenarium], [Ophrys sphegodes], [Anacamptis pyramidalis], [Salvia nemorosa], [Alyssum] spp., [Silene parviflora], [Dianthus giganteiformis ssp. pontederae], [Lotus] spp., [Onosma arenaria ssp. pseudoarenaria].


description:
Formations of large shrubs colonizing Pannonic dunes.


description:
Natural woods installed within Pannonic dune systems. Their composition can be specified by use of codes of G1.


description:
Inland dunes of the Pontic plain and of neighbouring basins, including the lower Danube basin of Oltenia and Muntenia and the northern Thracian plain, the northern Black Sea-Sea of Azov plain with the basins of the Dnieper and the Don, northeast to the Volga, east to the Caspian deserts and semideserts, southeast to the pre-Caucasian hills in the basins of the Kouban, the Manytch, the upper Kuma and upper Terek (units E1.2D1 and E1.2D3).


description:
Initial stage of renewal of the surface of wandering Pontic dunes, devoid or almost devoid of phanerogamic vegetation.


description:
Lichen-dominated earliest stage of the first succession phase of colonisation of Pontic dunes.


description:
Therophyte-dominated later stages of the first succession phase in the colonisation of Pontic dunes, characterized by a very thin, low cover of mostly ephemeral, early-blooming annuals of small stature.


description:
More or less open grasslands constituting the second stage of succession in the colonisation of Pontic dunes.


description:
Closed swards of basophilous, humus- and nutrient-rich, sandy or mixed sand-loessy soils of Pontic fixed dunes.


description:
Tertiary sands with upright stones and open psammophytic vegetation of the Varna district of Bulgaria.


hname:
Open Mediterranean dry acid and neutral grassland

description:
Sandy open ground with vernal therophytes, not necessarily grasses, in the Mediterranean region. Open perennial grasslands and pastures on siliceous, usually skeletal, soils of the supra-Mediterranean zone.


description:
Open, spring-blooming communities of annuals developed on deep sands of Iberia, of Mediterranean North Africa and, very locally, of southern France and Italy, with [Malcolmia lacera], [Malcolmia ramosissima], [Anthyllis hamosa], [Maresia nana], [Erodium laciniatum], [Erodium cicutarium ssp. bipinnatum], [Arenaria emarginata], [Hymenostemma pseudanthemis], [Loeflingia baetica], [Loeflingia spartea], [Loeflingia tavaresiana], [Loeflingia hispanica], [Linaria donyana], [Linaria pedunculata], [Vulpia membranacea], [Ononis variegata], [Ononis baetica], [Ononis cossoniana], [Ononis subspicata], [Coronilla repanda], [Evax asterisciflora], [Evax lusitanica], [Leucojum trichophyllum]. Coastal dune equivalents are classified as unit B1.48; while others occur on coastal gravel banks, see units B2.4 and B2.5.


description:
Open perennial grasslands and pastures colonizing siliceous, usually poorly developed soils of the supra-Mediterranean levels of Iberian mountains and the southern Balkan and northern Hellenic peninsulas.


description:
Open perennial formations colonizing arenaceous or skeletal, often unstable, siliceous soils of the supra-Mediterranean levels of Iberian mountains, rich in cushion-forming, rosette-leaved chamaephytes ([Jasione crispa ssp. sessiliflora], [Plantago radicata], [Scleranthus perennis]) and cespitose, rough perennial grasses ([Festuca costei], [Festuca indigesta], [Festuca summilusitana], [Corynephorus canescens], [Koeleria caudata ssp. crassipes]). Various formations, characterized by, among others, [Hieracium castellanum], [Leucanthemopsis pulverulenta], [Dianthus merinoi], [Dianthus laricifolius], [Armeria caballeroi], [Armeria alliacea], [Thymus serpylloides ssp. gadorensis], [Teucrium aureum] are distributed in the Cantabrian range, the southern Galician and Leonese mountains, the Iberian Range, the Cordillera Central, the Montes de Toledo, the Sierra Nevada.


description:
Communities of degraded terrains of the Mediterranean basin overwhelmingly dominated by facies-forming tall labiates of genus [Phlomis].


description:
Communities of degraded terrains of the Mediterranean basin dominated by facies-forming tall, robust umbellifers of genus [Ferula].


description:
Xeric grassland that is not currently mown or used for pasture.


description:
Low annuals on dry and warm trampled localities, for example the community of [Matricario matricarioidis-Polygonion arenastri] recorded in Hungary and Serbia with [Coronopus squamatus], [Cynodon dactylon], [Eragrostis minor], [Herniaria glabra], [Herniaria hirsuta], [Juncus tenuis], [Lepidium ruderale], [Lolium perenne], [Matricaria discoidea], [Plantago lanceolata], [Plantago major], [Poa annua] agg. and [Polygonum arenastrum].


description:
Lowland and montane mesotrophic and eutrophic pastures and hay meadows of the boreal, nemoral, warm-temperate humid and mediterranean zones. They are generally more fertile than dry grasslands (E1), and include sports fields and agriculturally improved and reseeded pastures.


hname:
Permanent mesotrophic pastures and aftermath-grazed meadows

description:
Regularly grazed mesotrophic pastures of Europe, fertilised and on well-drained soils, with [Lolium perenne], [Cynosurus cristatus], [Poa] spp., [Festuca] spp., [Trifolium repens], [Leontodon autumnalis], [Bellis perennis], [Ranunculus repens], [Ranunculus acris], [Cardamine pratensis], [Deschampsia cespitosa]; they are most characteristic of the nemoral and boreonemoral zones Europe, but extend to the Cordillera Central, the Apennines and the supra-Mediterranean zone of the Balkan peninsula and Greece.


description:
Continuous pastureland of Euro-Siberian Europe, Atlantic Iberia and the Cordillera Central, the Apennines and the supra-Mediterranean zone of the Balkan peninsula and Greece, unrelieved by networks of ditches. [Cynosurus cristatus] is usually present.


description:
Relatively species-poor grasslands of Euro-Siberian Western and Central Europe, Atlantic Iberia and the Cordillera Central, the Apennines and the supra-Mediterranean zone of the Balkan peninsula and Greece dominated by [Lolium perenne], often with [Cynosurus cristatus].


description:
More species-rich grasslands of the British Isles dominated by [Cynosurus cristatus] and with many flowering herbs, notably [Centaurea nigra].


description:
Pastures mostly of uplands of Western Europe, Central Europe and Eastern Europe, less treated, rougher and more species-rich than those of unit E2.111, often with the cespitose [Festuca nigrescens] and a significant representation of nitrofuge species.


description:
Pastures of Eastern Europe, in the southern part of the Russian forest zone, Bashkiria and the southern Urals.


description:
Grasslands drained by a network of ditches, fleets, streams or pools.


description:
Abandoned grasslands in which either weedy and ruderal species or species of the next successional stages occur beside the dominant grassland species after cessation of anthropogenic management . The richest stands are on carbonate and eruptive rock soils. [Geranium sylvaticum], [Trifolium medium], [Astrantia major], [Coronilla varia], [Listera ovata], [Gentiana cruciata], [Platanthera bifolia] are typical species.


description:
Secondary grasslands of the highest levels of the Atlantic islands.


description:
Mesotrophic hay meadows of low altitudes of Europe, fertilised and well-drained, with [Arrhenatherum elatius], [Trisetum flavescens], [Anthriscus sylvestris], [Heracleum sphondylium], [Daucus carota], [Crepis biennis], [Knautia arvensis], [Leucanthemum vulgare], [Pimpinella major], [Trifolium dubium], [Geranium pratense]; they are most characteristic of the nemoral and boreonemoral zones of Europe, but extend to the Cordillera Central, the Apennines and the supra-Mediterranean zone of the Balkan peninsula and Greece.


description:
Lowland mesophile hay meadows of the Atlantic domaine of Europe, characteristic of the British Isles and western France.


description:
Lowland mesophile hay meadows of the British Isles and western France rich in, or dominated by [Arrhenatherum elatius] accompanied by [Dactylis glomerata] and [Holcus lanatus] with [Centaurea debeauxii ssp. nemoralis] ([Centaurea nigra], [Centaurea nemoralis]), [Rhinanthus lanceolatus], [Oenanthe pimpinelloides], [Gaudinia fragilis], [Linum bienne], [Brachypodium pinnatum].


description:
Lowland mesophile hay meadows of England, characteristic of areas where traditional hay meadow treatment has been applied to seasonally flooded alluvial soils, formed by [Alopecurus pratensis], [Festuca rubra], [Cynosurus cristatus], [Lolium perenne], with less abundant or less constant [Holcus lanatus], [Anthoxanthum odoratum], [Dactylis glomerata], [Trisetum flavescens], [Agrostis stolonifera], [Bromus hordeaceus], [Arrhenatherum elatius], [Deschampsia cespitosa], [Festuca arundinacea], with many dicots, among which [Sanguisorba officinalis], [Filipendula ulmaria], [Leontodon] spp., [Taraxacum] spp. are often abundant and [Fritillaria meleagris] particularly noteworthy.


description:
Mesophile meso-to eutrophic lowland hay meadows of sub-Atlantic Western Europe, Central Europe, the humid Illyrian region and the Carpathian system, with [Arrhenatherum elatius], [Alopecurus pratensis], [Bromus erectus], [Dactylis glomerata], [Festuca rubra], [Daucus carota], [Crepis biennis], [Knautia arvensis], [Leucanthemum vulgare], [Pimpinella major], [Trifolium dubium], [Geranium pratense], [Alchemilla xanthochlora], [Campanula patula], [Pastinaca sativa], [Galium album], [Equisetum arvense], [Medicago sativa], [Picris hieracioides], [Sanguisorba officinalis]. Vegetation of alliance [Arrhenatherion elatioris].


hname:
Xero-mesophile medio-European lowland hay meadows

description:
Drier, more thermophile, swards of the lowland sub-Atlantic mesophile hay meadows of Western Europe and Central Europe, dominated by [Arrhenatherum elatius], and with a species composition that includes [Festuco-Brometea] dry grassland species, in particular, [Salvia pratensis], [Bromus erectus], [Ranunculus bulbosus], [Dianthus carthusianorum], [Pimpinella saxifraga], [Plantago media], [Galium verum], [Euphorbia cyparissias], [Linum catharticum].


hname:
Hygromesophile medio-European lowland hay meadows

description:
More humid, or temporarily more humid, swards of the lowland sub-Atlantic mesophile hay meadows of Western Europe and Central Europe, dominated by [Arrhenatherum elatius] and [Alopecurus pratensis], or by the latter alone, and with a species composition intermediate between that of mesophile and humid meadows (E3) with [Cirsium oleraceum], [Angelica sylvestris], [Sanguisorba officinalis], [Ranunculus repens], [Myosotis palustris], [Glechoma hederacea], [Lychnis flos-cuculi], [Ajuga reptans], [Cardamine pratensis], [Lysimachia nummularia], [Geranium pratense], [Campanula patula], [Pastinaca sativa], [Heracleum sphondylium], [Anthriscus sylvestris]. Towards the east, in more continental climates, the [Alopecurus] meadows communities increasingly take the character of humid riverine meadows; they have been included in E3 from the Pannonic region eastwards, in the range of the mesophile meadows of E2.15.


description:
Mesophile grasslands of middle European Hercynian hills, of the middle elevations of the greater Hercynian ranges, the Jura, the pre-Alps, the Dinarides, the Pelagonides, the Carpathians, the Pyrenees, the mountains of the northwestern Iberian peninsula, intermediate between the lowland meadows of unit E2.22 and the montane meadows of unit E2.3. Vegetation of alliance [Arrhenatherion elatioris], and association [Arrhenatheretum elatioris]. [Arrhenatherum elatius] is the dominant species, while [Pastinaca sativa], [Trifolium dubium], [Knautia arvensis] and [Crepis biennis] often occur.


hname:
Western Hercynian submontane hay meadows

description:
Hay meadows of higher elevations of the lesser Hercynian ranges, with [Meum athamanticum], [Festuca nigrescens], [Geranium sylvaticum], [Lathyrus montanus], [Phyteuma spicatum], [Potentilla erecta], [Galium saxatile], [Ranunculus bulbosus], [Pimpinella saxifraga], [Lotus uliginosus].


hname:
Eastern Hercynio-Baltic submontane hay meadows

description:
Hay meadows of mid-elevations of the great Hercynian ranges of Central Europe and of the hills of the eastern Germano-Baltic Plain, in particular, of the Baltic States.


description:
Hay meadows of the submontane level of the Carpathians, at about 600-700 m.


description:
Endemic community of the western Carpathians, with [Alchemilla walasii], [Alchemilla micans], [Alchemilla pastoralis], [Centaurea oxylepis], [Gladiolus imbricatus], [Viola saxatilis var. decorata].


description:
Species-rich hay meadows of the Pienini and the Beskides, limited to thermophilous stations on deep calcareous soils, with [Medicago falcata], [Polygala comosa], [Thymus pulegioides], [Salvia verticillata], [Ranunculus polyanthemos].


hname:
Eastern Carpathian yellow oatgrass meadows

description:
Submontane mesophile meadows of the Romanian Carpathians, developed on nutrient-rich acid brown soils, dominated by [Trisetum flavescens], accompanied by [Arrhenatherum elatius] and a species cortège characteristic of the [Arrhenatherion], including [Campanula patula], [Trifolium repens], [Leucanthemum vulgare], [Lotus corniculatus].


description:
Mesophile hay meadows of sub-Atlantic northern Spain, in particular, of the beech level of the oro-Cantabrian region, with [Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. bulbosum], [Trisetum flavescens], [Sanguisorba minor], [Malva moschata], [Knautia arvensis], [Pimpinella major], [Trifolium repens].


description:
Submontane mesophile hay meadows of the pre-Alps.


description:
Submontane mesophile hay meadows of the Jura.


description:
Submontane mesophile hay meadows of the beech level of the Dinarides, within the range of the [Fagion illyricum], dominated by [Trisetum flavescens], with [Poa pratensis], [Arrhenatherum elatius], [Festuca pratensis], [Alchemilla xanthochlora].


hname:
Southwestern Moesian submontane hay meadows

description:
Submontane mesophile hay meadows of the beech level of the Pelagonides, within the range of the [Fagion moesiacum], dominated by [Trisetum flavescens].


description:
Herb-rich meadows of boreal affinities of the boreal and boreonemoral regions of the Palaearctic, with outposts in cool humid uplands of the northern nemoral zone, in particular, in the British Isles.


hname:
Fenno-Scandian boreal and sub-boreal meadows

description:
Herb-rich meadows of boreal affinities of Fennoscandia, distributed in the boreonemoral, southern boreal, middle boreal, northern boreal, boreoalpine and oceanic southern boreal zones of Finland, Sweden and Norway, formed by [Deschampsia cespitosa], [Anthoxanthum odoratum], [Festuca ovina], [Briza media], with, as dominant dicots, [Geranium sylvaticum], [Alchemilla] spp., [Rhinanthus minor], [Anemone nemorosa] and a cortège that includes boreal elements such as [Polygonum viviparum], [Rubus arcticus], boreonemoral species, in particular, [Hypochoeris maculata], [Veronica chamaedrys], as well as [Cirsium helenioides], [Filipendula ulmaria], [Potentilla erecta], [Ranunculus auricomus], [Trollius europaeus], [Hepatica nobilis], [Dactylorhiza maculata], [Dactylorhiza fuchsii], [Listera ovata], [Platanthera chlorantha].


description:
Mesophile hay meadows of submontane areas of northern England, with affinities to both the Fennoscandian boreal meadows of unit E2.241 and to the submontane continental Western European meadows of unit E2.23.


description:
Lowland and collinar mesophile grasslands of the Pannonic basin, the Transylvanian basin, the lower Danubian plain, the Thracian plain and their fringing foothills, of Eastern Europe and of southern Siberia.


description:
Lowland and collinar mesophile grasslands of the Pannonic basin, the Transylvanian basin, the lower Danubian plain, the Black Sea-Sea of Azov plain and their fringing foothills.


description:
Lowland, collinar and, locally, montane, mesophile grasslands of the northern Thracian plain and its fringing foothills.


description:
Mesophile floodplain hay meadows of the northern Thracian plain and its fringing foothills, on soils moistened by a high water table fed by riverine inundation, situated on higher ground than riverine meadows of unit E3, dominated by similar grass species, including [Poa pratensis], [Alopecurus pratensis]; [Alopecurus rendlei] ([Alopecurus utriculatus]), [Festuca pratensis].


description:
Mesophile hay meadows of the valleys and lower slopes of mountain ranges fringing the northern Thracian plain and its peripheral basins installed on soils moistened by underground or surface water supplied by slope runoff, dominated by the same grass species as in the floodplain meadows of E2.2521, accompanied by [Arrhenatherum elatius] and [Agrostis capillaris].


hname:
Moeso-Thracian mesophile cold water meadows

description:
Species-rich mesophile hay meadows of the lower slopes and foot of the southern flank of the Balkan Range, developed on calcareous substrates and with a supply of cold surface and ground water originating in the upper levels of the mountain, dominated by [Poa pratensis], [Alopecurus pratensis], [Alopecurus rendlei] ([Alopecurus utriculatus]), [Festuca pratensis] and with orchids, [Clematis integrifolia], [Cladium mariscus], [Merendera sobolifera], [Galium rubioides].


description:
Often species-rich mesotrophic to eutrophic hay meadows of the montane and subalpine levels of higher mountains of the nemoral and southern boreal zones.


description:
Species-rich mesophile hay meadows of the montane and subalpine levels (mostly above 600 metres) of the Western Alps and neighbouring mountains (the greater Hercynian ranges, Carpathians, the Dinarides) on fresh, neutral to moderately acid or moderately basic soils, cut one to three times per year. Usually dominated by [Trisetum flavescens] and with [Alchemilla] spp., [Anthoxanthum odoratum], [Astrantia major], [Campanula glomerata], [Carum carvi], [Centaurea nemoralis], [Crepis] spp., [Crocus albiflorus], [Geranium] spp., [Heracleum sphondylium], [Chaerophyllum hirsutum], [Lilium bulbiferum], [Malva moschata], [Muscari botryoides], [Narcissus poeticus], [Phyteuma] spp., [Pimpinella major], [Polygonum bistorta], [Primula elatior], [Salvia pratensis], [Silene] spp., [Thlaspi caerulescens], [Trollius europaeus], [Valeriana repens], [Viola] spp. and many others. In the Carpathians they are represented by the alliance [Polygono-Trisetion] with many endemic taxa.


description:
Meadows of the montane and subalpine levels of the Caucasus and the Pontic mountains of northern Anatolia.


description:
Mesophile tall grasslands in the mountain and sub-alpine areas of Balkan peninsula in the beech forest zone. They are dominated by [Trisetum flavescens], [Cynosurus cristatus], [Festuca pratensis], and geographically differentiated by Balkan endemic species [Armeria rumelica], [Knautia dinarica], [Rhinanthus rumelicus].


