SW1B Zostera marina saline community


  • Saline water habitats (SW)
  • SW1 Ruppia maritima/cirrhosa – Zostera marina group
  • SW1B Zostera marina saline community
Scientific name:
Zostera marina saline community
Common name:
Eelgrass saline community
Community code:
SW1B

SW1B Zostera marina saline community

Vegetation

This simple community consists of beds of the marine angiosperm Zostera marina, occasionally accompanied by the growth of Ruppia marina/cirrhosa.

Ecology

These beds occur in the subtidal or lower intertidal zone of lagoons and sheltered coastal waters, growing on sand, gravel or sandy mud.

Sub-communities

No sub-communities are currently described.

Similar communities

Zostera marina occurs infrequently in the SW1A Ruppia maritima/cirrhosa lagoon community, but there it is usually subordinate to the tasselweed.

Conservation value

Zostera beds are used in Ireland as bioindicators of ecological quality status for purposes of reporting under the Water Framework Directive (see Wilkes et al. 2017). Species/1 m2 = 1.2, n = 6.

Management

Intertidal Zostera beds can be impacted by vehicular traffic, for example that in involved in aquaculture. Eutrophication of coastal waters can lead to smothering of beds by opportunistic algal growth.

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