Biodiversity & Conservation

Ruppia maritima in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sand

SS.SMp.SSgr.Rup

IMS.Rup

Image Anon. - Ruppia maritima in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sand. Image width ca 40 cm.
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Distribution map

SS.SMp.SSgr.Rup recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

  • EC_Habitats

Text page icon Habitat description

Map icon Distribution of biotope in Britain and Ireland Ruppia beds have a scattered distribution, dependant on available habitat, with concentrations in the Cromarty Firth, the Fleet, and lagoonal habitats of west Scotland, Orkney and Shetland. This biotope was not recorded in Ireland.
National importance Uncommon

Text page icon Description of biotope

For a full description of this biotope including characterizing species, distribution, survey information and references visit JNCC

In sheltered brackish muddy sand and mud, beds of Ruppia maritima and more rarely Ruppia cirrhosa (syn. Ruppia spiralis) may occur. These beds may be populated by fish such as Gasterosteus aculeatus and Spinachia spinachia which are less common on filamentous algal-dominated sediments. Seaweeds such as Chaetomorpha spp., Ulva spp., and Chorda filum are also often present. In some cases the stoneworts Chara aspera and Lamprothamnium papulosum occur. (Information taken from the Marine Biotope Classification for Britain and Ireland, Version 97.06: Connor et al., 1997a, b).

Additional information icon Additional information

Little information concerning the ecology of Ruppia sp. beds in the United Kingdom was found. Therefore, this review is based on more detailed reviews of Ruppia dominated communities in western Europe and North America (Verhoeven, 1979, 1980a&b; Kantrud, 1991). Ruppia is a taxonomically difficult genus (Preston, 1995) and several species and their varieties have been used. In the following review, therefore, the species Ruppia maritima is used where specific information has been given, otherwise the genus Ruppia alone is used.

This review can be cited as follows:

Tyler-Walters, H. 2001. Ruppia maritima in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sand. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 26/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/habitatsbasicinfo.php?habitatid=266&code=2004>