Biodiversity & Conservation

Sensitivity

Erect sponges, Eunicella verrucosa and Pentapora fascialis on slightly tide-swept moderately exposed circalittoral rock.

CR.HCR.XFa.ByErSp.Eun

Image Rohan Holt - Bedrock with the sea fan Eunicella verrucosa, the soft coral Alcyonium glomeratum and the stalked sponge Raspailia ramosa amongst a hydroid turf. Image width ca 1.0 m.
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CR.HCR.XFa.ByErSp.Eun recorded () and expected () distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Habitat sensitivity

Physical Factors

Click factor name to view rationale	Intolerance	Recoverability	Sensitivity	Species Richness	Evidence / Confidence
Substratum Loss	High	Very low / none	Very High	Major decline	High
Smothering	Intermediate	Moderate	Moderate	Decline	Moderate
Increase in suspended sediment	Low	Very high	Very low	No change	Moderate
Decrease in suspended sediment	Tolerant	Not relevant	Not sensitive	No change	Moderate
Desiccation	Not relevant	Not relevant	Not relevant	Not relevant	Not relevant
Increase in emergence regime	Not relevant	Not relevant	Not relevant	Not relevant	Not relevant
Decrease in emergence regime	Not relevant	Not relevant	Not relevant	Not relevant	Not relevant
Increase in water flow rate	Low	High	Low	Minor decline	Moderate
Decrease in water flow rate	Intermediate	High	Low	Minor decline	Moderate
Increase in temperature	Tolerant*	Not relevant	Not sensitive*	Rise	High
Decrease in temperature	Intermediate	High	Low	Minor decline	Very low
Increase in turbidity	Low	Very high	Very low	No change	Moderate
Decrease in turbidity	Low	Immediate	Not sensitive	No change	Moderate
Increase in wave exposure	Intermediate	Low	High	Decline	Moderate
Decrease in wave exposure	Low	Very high	Very low	Minor decline	Moderate
Noise	Tolerant	Not relevant	Not sensitive	No change	Low
Visual Presence	Tolerant	Not relevant	Not sensitive	No change	High
Abrasion & physical disturbance	High	Very low / none	Very High	Major decline	Moderate
Displacement	High	Very low / none	Very High	Major decline	High

Chemical Factors

Click factor name to view rationale	Intolerance	Recoverability	Sensitivity	Species Richness	Evidence / Confidence
Synthetic compound contamination	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient Information	Not relevant
Heavy metal contamination	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient Information	Not relevant
Hydrocarbon contamination	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient Information	Not relevant
Radionuclide contamination	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient Information	Not relevant
Changes in nutrient levels	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient Information	Not relevant
Increase in salinity	High	Very low / none	Very High	Major decline	Moderate
Decrease in salinity
Changes in oxygenation	Intermediate	Low	High	Major decline	Moderate

Biological Factors

Click factor name to view rationale	Intolerance	Recoverability	Sensitivity	Species Richness	Evidence / Confidence
Introduction of microbial pathogens/parasites	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Not relevant	Not relevant
Introduction of non-native species	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient Information	Not relevant
Extraction of this species	Intermediate	Low	High	No change	Low
Extraction of other species	Intermediate	Low	High	Decline	Low

Species used to indicate biotope intolerance

Physical factors

	Eunicella verrucosa Key structural	Axinella dissimilis Important characterizing	Pentapora fascialis Important characterizing
Substratum Loss	High	High	High
Smothering	Intermediate	Intermediate	Intermediate
Increase in suspended sediment	Low	Intermediate	Intermediate
Decrease in suspended sediment	Not relevant
Desiccation	Not relevant	High	High
Increase in emergence regime	Not relevant	High	High
Decrease in emergence regime	Not relevant
Increase in water flow rate	Intermediate	Low	Low
Decrease in water flow rate	Intermediate
Increase in temperature	Tolerant*	Intermediate	Intermediate
Decrease in temperature	Low
Increase in turbidity	Tolerant	Tolerant	Tolerant
Decrease in turbidity	Intermediate
Increase in wave exposure	Intermediate	Intermediate	Intermediate
Decrease in wave exposure	Intermediate
Noise	Not relevant	Tolerant	Tolerant
Visual Presence	Not relevant	Tolerant	Tolerant
Abrasion & physical disturbance	Intermediate	Intermediate	High
Displacement	High	High	High

Chemical factors

	Eunicella verrucosa Key structural	Axinella dissimilis Important characterizing	Pentapora fascialis Important characterizing
Synthetic compound contamination	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Heavy metal contamination	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Hydrocarbon contamination	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Radionuclide contamination	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Changes in nutrient levels	Tolerant	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Increase in salinity	Not relevant	High	High
Decrease in salinity	High
Changes in oxygenation	High	Intermediate	Intermediate

Biological factors

	Eunicella verrucosa Key structural	Axinella dissimilis Important characterizing	Pentapora fascialis Important characterizing
Introduction of microbial pathogens/parasites	Insufficient information	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Introduction of non-native species	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Extraction of this species	Intermediate	Not relevant	Not relevant
Extraction of other species	Not relevant	Tolerant	Tolerant

Species used to indicate biotope recoverability

Physical factors

	Eunicella verrucosa Key structural	Axinella dissimilis Important characterizing	Pentapora fascialis Important characterizing
Substratum Loss		Insufficient information	Moderate
Smothering	Moderate	Insufficient information	Moderate
Increase in suspended sediment	Very high	Insufficient information	High
Decrease in suspended sediment	Not relevant
Desiccation	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Moderate
Increase in emergence regime	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Moderate
Decrease in emergence regime	Not relevant
Increase in water flow rate	Moderate	Insufficient information	Very high
Decrease in water flow rate	Moderate
Increase in temperature	Not relevant	Insufficient information	High
Decrease in temperature	High
Increase in turbidity	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Not relevant
Decrease in turbidity	Moderate
Increase in wave exposure	Moderate	Insufficient information	High
Decrease in wave exposure	Moderate
Noise	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Not relevant
Visual Presence	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Not relevant
Abrasion & physical disturbance	Moderate	Insufficient information	Moderate
Displacement	Moderate	Insufficient information	Moderate

Chemical factors

	Eunicella verrucosa Key structural	Axinella dissimilis Important characterizing	Pentapora fascialis Important characterizing
Synthetic compound contamination	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Heavy metal contamination	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Hydrocarbon contamination	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Radionuclide contamination	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Changes in nutrient levels	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Increase in salinity	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Moderate
Decrease in salinity
Changes in oxygenation		Insufficient information	High

Biological factors

	Eunicella verrucosa Key structural	Axinella dissimilis Important characterizing	Pentapora fascialis Important characterizing
Introduction of microbial pathogens/parasites	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Introduction of non-native species	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Insufficient information
Extraction of this species	Moderate	Not relevant	Not relevant
Extraction of other species	Not relevant	Insufficient information	Not relevant

This review can be cited as follows:

Jackson, A. & Hiscock, K. 2000. Erect sponges, Eunicella verrucosa and Pentapora fascialis on slightly tide-swept moderately exposed circalittoral rock.. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 20/06/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/habitatsensitivity.php?habitatid=77&code=2004>

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Erect sponges, Eunicella verrucosa and Pentapora fascialis on slightly tide-swept moderately exposed circalittoral rock.

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CR.HCR.XFa.ByErSp.Eun