Hediste diversicolor and Limecola balthica in littoral gravelly mud

Sheltered gravelly mud shores, subject to reduced salinity. The infaunal community consists of the ragworm Hediste diversicolor, as well as the spire shell Hydrobia ulvae and the baltic tellin Limecola balthica (Macoma balthica). The presence of the gravel in the sediment is unlikely to have a large influence on the infaunal composition, which is driven mainly by the estuarine sandy mud conditions. Coarse material on the sediment surface may however enrich the biota with additional epifaunal species such as barnacles and algae. Given the low sample numbers for this biotope, more records are needed to confirm the characterising species list.$$$Situation: It is probable that there are broad transition areas between this biotope, and the corresponding muddy sediment biotope, unit MA6-224. The boundaries may be very indistinct, with MA4-2321 present in patches of gravelly mud on areas of mudflat, where the main biotope is MA6-224. This biotope has been found alongside its mud equivalent in the Stour estuary.

Código Eunis 2021: MA42321