The rocky shore comprises exposed
bedrock outcrops with boulder filled gullies, crevices and rock pools.
Lichens occur throughout the
littoral fringe and upper shore interspersed with shallow rockpools. The extensive Verrucaria maura biotope is the defining feature of this shore.
Faunal diversity is low and sparse being confined to the sheltered rock sides,
crevices and gullies. Periwinkles are found throughout the shore, whilst
seaweeds and other mobile fauna are found within the rockpools and gullies. The
rockpools of the shore vary depending on their relative altitude and wave
exposure. Coralline rockpools occur in the mid shore and deeper species rich
rockpools of the lower shore gullies.
Habitat classification:
Substrate
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Habitat
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FLR (Features of littoral rock)
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Biotope complex
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LR.FLR.Lic (Lichens on supralittoral
rock)
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LR.FLR.Rkp (Rockpools)
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Biotope
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LR.FLR.Lic.YG Yellow and grey lichens on supralittoral rock
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LR.FLR.Lic.Ver (Verrucaria maura on littoral fringe rock)
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LR.FLR.Rkp.G (Green
seaweeds (Entomorpha spp. and Cladophora spp.) in shallow upper shore rock
pools)
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LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated
shallow eulittoral rockpools)
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LR.FLR.Rkp.FK Fucoids and kelp in
deep eulittoral rockpools
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Below are images of
organisms you may encounter whilst rockpooling in these habitats:
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The rocky shore comprises bedrock outcrops
with boulder filled gullies, crevices and rockpools. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Lic (Lichens on supralittoral rock) and LR.FLR.Rkp (Rockpools).
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Sea pinks occur in crevices amongst Yellow
and grey lichens in the littoral fringe. Habitat
classification: LR.FLR.Lic.YG (Yellow and grey lichens on supralittoral rock).
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| Lichens in the littoral fringe. |
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A shallow rock pool dominated by green algae
and surrounded by lichens. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.G (Green seaweeds
(Entomorpha spp. and Cladophora spp.) in shallow upper shore rock pools).
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A shallow rock pool in the upper shore that
has become increasingly stagnant, through the decomposition of ephemeral green
seaweed.
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| Tar lichen (Verrucaria maura) covers the majority of the rocky shore. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Lic.Ver (Verrucaria maura on littoral fringe rock) |
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Rough periwinkles (Littorina sp) are sparesly distributed throughout the V. maura biotope.
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A shallow rock pool with Ulva sp (previously Entomorpha
)within the V. maura biotope.
Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.G (Green seaweeds
(Entomorpha spp. and Cladophora spp.) in shallow upper shore rock pools).
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A shallow rock pool with Ulva sp (previously Entomorpha
)within the V. maura biotope. The rockpools of the upper
shore experience fluctuations in salinity and temperature that restrict
gastropod density allowing the prolific growth of ephemeral green seaweeds.
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In the sheltered gullies, channel wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata) grows within the V. maura biotope.
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A coralline rock pool within the mid shore
with Corallinaceae crusts, coral weed (Corallina
officinalis) limpets (Patella
sp), periwinkles, common blue mussel (Mytilus
edulis) and the green seaweed Codium
sp. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow
eulittoral rockpools)
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Limpets (Patella
sp) covered by filamentous greens in a coralline rock pool.
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| Limpets (Patella sp) and filamentous seaweeds in a coralline rock pool |
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| Corallinaceae crusts and barnacles within a coralline rock pool. |
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| A rock pool of the lower shore gullies with Spiral wrack (Fucus spiralis), Serrated wrack (Fucus serratus), Ulva sp, Corallinaceae crusts and limpets (Patella sp). Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.FK Fucoids and kelp in deep eulittoral rockpools. |
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| Codium sp |
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A
shore crab (Carcinus maenas) within a
rich seaweed rock pool.
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