Your data – habitats of note
As well as collecting information on species and the survey details in particular, we have also been asked to record some more site details which will be important to note and which add to the intertidal information taken on the shore. These details are of activities and habitats which are important. The activities are finding fishing gear and equipment on shore, especially when considerable or regular. Also finding turned rocks (pictured below), could be evidence of disturbance and needs to be logged. Although tricky to be clear that rocks were turned by humans and not the waves, it is still important to note when you see it on shore. Rocks which have been turned, and not replaced as they were found, can be seen by noting the species you expect to find under a rock. Obviously, many species can move, if exposed, so you are mostly looking out for attached organisms such as dog whelk eggs, or dead algae, especially pink encrusting algae and coral weed, which loses its colour and whitens when dried out.
There are ways of reporting stranded dead or live marine mammals, turtles and sharks. The information you need can be found within the on-shore packs provided for your self-led surveys in Level 1.
These are beds of mussels and not mussels found attached to rock sides. These beds help provide a healthy, functioning ecosystem as they affect sediment movements, are food for waders and provide a biogenic reef (a reef made from animals, not rock, but which acts in a similar way in providing habitat for other species) within environments often dominated by sediment. Blue mussels have experienced losses in population number in Wales over recent decades, so reporting these vital habitats is even more important.
Peat and Clay exposures with piddocks
these are low-lying patches with resident or signs of previous piddock species boring. These are uncommon habitats which are not extensive in size, often and add to the biodiversity locally. These are irreplaceable and fragile as they from historic previous habitats such as lakes and forests.
Honeycomb worm (Sabellaria alveolata) reef
another biogenic reef, this time created by worms building tunnels from grains of sand in which they live. When reef-forming these worms can build hummocks, sheets or larger forms, and occur in areas with some rock (from pebbles to bedrock) and a good supply of sand suspended in the water. Found only in Southern and Western UK, it is at its northernmost limit here. Reports of losses of this habitat for decades before returning to the same area occur in several areas around the UK.
interesting due to being fairly uncommon in the UK. As an alternative to surrounding sediment it can go a long way to increasing the overall biodiversity of an estuary. The marine species here experience differences in wave exposure, tidal streams and level of sediment in the water, making certain species grow in different ways. This habitat can be an important additional area for the estuary’s function as a fish nursery.
becoming more well-known and the main feature of our Seagrass Ocean Rescue project, seagrass beds grow in sand and mud and provide settled sediment which can be a Carbon sink (keeping hold of carbon rather than releasing and adding to Climate Change), if left undisturbed. Found in areas with shelter from significant wave action, they provide nurseries and attachment for many marine species too. The three species of the Zostera seagrass species in the UK are rare.
a rare habitat, the sediment mix provides home for infauna (animals living within the sediment) and also epifauna (animals living on the sediment surface). This mix can be highly diverse when the habitat is found in fully saline conditions (this habitat can often be found in estuaries and so can be less biodiverse as you move inland).
Intertidal underboulder community
this habitat could be found anywhere from mid-low shore on boulders greater than 25cm across. Spaces under, within and between boulders can provide a good deal of extra microhabitat on the shore (with vital shade, moisture, shelter, attachment for themselves or their eggs) and this can add to the biodiversity. The boulders themselves can affect the water coming as well as providing sediment traps. Greater richness of life underneath comes with increased space underneath as well as running seawater down the shore. Reduced likelihood of finding this type of habitat is found on boulders embedded in sediment, are in low salinity environments, or experience high movement or scour.
