BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Laminaria hyperborea
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Dr Harvey Tyler-Walters	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	Dr Joanna Jones
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	Found on most coasts of Britain and Ireland. Scarce along the south east coast of Britain due to a lack of suitable substrata.
Global distribution	Restricted to the north east Atlantic from the northern coast of Iceland, north to the Russian coast near Murmansk and south to Cape Mondego, mid-Portugal including Norway, Faroes, northern France and northern Spain but absent from the Bay of Biscay.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	Extreme low water to 47m although usually to ca 30m
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information	Laminaria hyperborea is not found in areas influenced by sediment (e.g. sand) scour. Laminaria hyperborea is absent is areas of extreme wave action or currents (e.g. surge gullies) since the stiff stipe is likely to snap or holdfasts tear off. It is also absent from sheltered areas. The upper limit of its distribution may be depressed by wave action, e.g. in St Kilda its upper limit is several metres below MLWS (Birkett et al., 1998b). High irradiances (comparable to direct sunlight) reduce photosynthesis in Laminaria hyperborea, which may explain its absence from intertidal rock pools, where it is replaced by %Laminaria digitata% (Kain et al., 1975). The lower limit of Laminaria hyperborea is determined by light penetration except in the presence of grazing e.g. by Echinus in the Isle of Man (Jones & Kain, 1967; Kain et al. 1974). The lower limit for Laminarians is generally considered to be about 1 percent of surface irradiance (Luning, 1990; Birkett et al., 1998b).

Substratum preferences	Bedrock Large to very large boulders Cobbles Pebbles Artificial (e.g. metal/wood/concrete)	Physiographic preferences	Open coast Strait / sound Ria / Voe Enclosed coast / Embayment
Biological zone	Upper Infralittoral Lower Infralittoral	Wave exposure	Very Exposed Exposed Moderately Exposed
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Moderately Strong (1-3 kn) Weak (<1 kn)	Salinity	Full (30-40 psu)
Habitat Preferences Additional Information
Distribution References	Lüning, 1990, Norton, 1985, Birkett et al., 1998b, JNCC, 1999, Picton & Costello, 1998, Jones & Kain, 1967, Kain et al., 1975, Erwin et al., 1990, Hardy & Guiry, 2003,