Oligochaetes in variable or reduced salinity Atlantic infralittoral muddy sediment

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 MB6-257, differentiated by the absence of the freshwater species, and adjacent to more mobile and sandier biotopes in the tidal channels.

Código Eunis 2021: MB6256