SNH Commissioned Reports (Nos
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MPA search feature descriptions catalogue 14th and 15th March, 2012 Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh This report should be cited as: Tyler-Walters, H., James, B. (eds.), Wilding, C., Durkin, O., Lacey, C., Philpott, E., Adams, L., Chaniotis, P.D., Wilkes, P.T.V., Seeley, R., Neilly, M., Dargie, J. and Crawford-Avis, O.T. (2012). Descriptions of Marine Protected Area (MPA) search features. A report produced by MarLIN (Marine Life Information Network), SMRU Ltd., Scottish Natural Heritage and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, for the Scottish Marine Protected Areas Project. INTRODUCTION This report represents a descriptive catalogue of the MPA search features being used to underpin the identification of Nature Conservation MPAs in Scotland’s seas. Whilst derived from available existing accounts, the succinct 1-page descriptions are written from a Scottish perspective, refining, but clearly linking to more generic UK, EC or OSPAR (Oslo and Paris Commission) commentary. Available information on the geographic distribution of the features from GeMS is provided as a summary map in each description. The list comprises 21 broad habitats (e.g. burrowed mud), five low or limited mobility species (e.g. Iceland cyprine) and 10 mobile species, including fish (e.g. blue ling), marine mammals (e.g. minke whale) and black guillemot. Descriptions are also presented for five large-scale features considered to be of functional significance for the overall health of Scottish seas. Since publication of the Scottish MPA Selection Guidelines, European spiny lobster, burrowing sea anemone aggregations and heart cockle aggregations were removed as drivers in the identification of Nature Conservation MPAs. MPA search features Page no. SEABED HABITATS AND THEIR COMPONENT BIOTOPES AND SPECIES BLUE MUSSEL BEDS ...................................................................................................... 1 Mytilus edulis on littoral sediments (LS.LBR.LMus.Myt) ............................................... 2 Mytilus edulis and Fabricia sabella in littoral mixed sediment (LS.LSa.St.MytFab) ....... 3 Mytilus edulis beds on sublittoral sediment (SS.SBR.SMus.MytSS) ............................. 4 Mytilus edulis beds on reduced salinity infralittoral rock (IR.LIR.IFaVS.MytRS) ............. 5 BURROWED MUD ........................................................................................................... 6 Seapens and burrowing megafauna in circalittoral fine mud (SS.SMu.CFiMu.SpnMeg) ............................................................................................ 7 Burrowing megafauna and Maxmuelleria lankesteri in circalittoral mud (SS.SMu.CFiMu.MegMax) ............................................................................................ 8 Tall seapen - Funiculina quadrangularis ........................................................................ 9 Fireworks anemone - Pachycerianthus multiplicatus ..................................................... 10 Mud burrowing amphipod - Maera loveni ....................................................................... 11 CARBONATE MOUND COMMUNITIES ........................................................................... 12 CORAL GARDENS ........................................................................................................... 13 DEEP SEA SPONGE AGGREGATIONS .......................................................................... 14 FLAME SHELL BEDS ....................................................................................................... 15 HORSE MUSSEL BEDS ................................................................................................... 16 Modiolus modiolus beds with hydroids and red seaweeds on tide-swept circalittoral mixed substrata (SS.SBR.SMus.ModT) ........................................................................ 17 Modiolus modiolus beds on open coast circalittoral mixed sediment (SS.SBR.SMus.ModMx) ............................................................................................... 18 Modiolus modiolus beds with fine hydroids and large solitary ascidians on very sheltered circalittoral mixed substrata (SS.SBR.SMus.ModHAs) .................................. 19 Modiolus modiolus beds with Chlamys varia, sponges, hydroids and bryozoans on slightly tide-swept very sheltered circalittoral mixed substrata (SS.SBR.SMus.ModCvar) ............................................................................................ 20 INSHORE DEEP MUD WITH BURROWING HEART URCHINS....................................... 21 KELP AND SEAWEED COMMUNITIES ON SUBLITTORAL SEDIMENT ......................... 22 LOW OR VARIABLE SALINITY HABITATS ...................................................................... 23 Faunal communities on variable or reduced salinity infralittoral rock (IR.LIR.IFaVS) ..... 24 Kelp in variable or reduced salinity (IR.LIR.KVS) .......................................................... 25 MAERL BEDS ................................................................................................................... 26 MAERL OR COARSE SHELL GRAVEL WITH BURROWING SEA CUCUMBERS ........... 27 NATIVE OYSTERS ........................................................................................................... 28 Native oyster - Ostrea edulis ......................................................................................... 29 NORTHERN SEA FAN AND SPONGE COMMUNITIES ................................................... 30 Caryophyllia smithii and Swiftia pallida on circalittoral rock (CR.MCR.EcCr.CarSwi) .... 31 Mixed turf of hydroids and large ascidians with Swiftia pallida and Caryophyllia smithii on weakly tide-swept circalittoral rock (CR.HCR.XFa.SwiLgAs) ................................... 32 Page no. Deep sponge communities (circalittoral) (CR.HCR.DpSp) ............................................. 33 Northern sea fan - Swiftia pallida ................................................................................... 34 OFFSHORE DEEP SEA MUDS ........................................................................................ 35 OFFSHORE SUBTIDAL SANDS AND GRAVELS ............................................................ 36 SEAGRASS BEDS ........................................................................................................... 37 Zostera noltii beds in littoral muddy sand (LS.LMp.LSgr.Znol) ..................................... 38 Zostera marina/angustifolia beds on lower shore or infralittoral clean or muddy sand (SS.SMp.SSgr.Zmar) .................................................................................................... 39 Ruppia maritima in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sand (SS.SMp.SSgr.Rup) ........ 40 SEA LOCH EGG WRACK BEDS ...................................................................................... 41 SEAMOUNT COMMUNITIES ........................................................................................... 42 SHALLOW TIDE-SWEPT COARSE SANDS WITH BURROWING BIVALVES ................. 43 TIDE-SWEPT ALGAL COMMUNITIES ............................................................................. 44 Fucoids in tide-swept conditions (LR.HLR.FT) .............................................................. 45 Halidrys siliquosa and mixed Kelps on tide-swept infralittoral rock with coarse sediment (IR.HIR.KSed.XKHal) .................................................................................... 46 Kelp and seaweed communities in tide-swept sheltered conditions (IR.MIR.KT) ........... 47 Laminaria hyperborea on tide-swept infralittoral mixed substrata (IR.MIR.KR.LhypTX) ..................................................................................................... 48 LOW OR LIMITED MOBILITY SPECIES BURROWING SEA ANEMONE AGGREGATIONS1 - ARACHNANTHUS SARSI ............. 49 NORTHERN FEATHER STAR AGGREGATIONS - LEPTOMETRA CELTICA ................. 50 FAN MUSSEL AGGREGATIONS - ATRINA FRAGILIS ................................................... 51 HEART COCKLE AGGREGATIONS1 - GLOSSUS HUMANUS ........................................ 52 OCEAN QUAHOG AGGREGATIONS - ARCTICA ISLANDICA ........................................ 53 MOBILE SPECIES EUROPEAN SPINY LOBSTER1 - PALINURUS ELEPHAS ............................................... 54 BLUE LING - MOLVA DYPTERYGIA ................................................................................ 55 ORANGE ROUGHY - HOPLOSTETHUS ATLANTICUS ................................................... 56 SANDEELS - AMMODYTES MARINUS AND AMMODYTES TOBIANUS ........................ 57 BASKING SHARK - CETORHINUS MAXIMUS ................................................................. 58 COMMON SKATE - DIPTURUS BATIS COMPLEX .......................................................... 59 MINKE WHALE - BALAENOPTERA ACUTOROSTRATA ................................................. 60 RISSO’S DOLPHIN - GRAMPUS GRISEUS ..................................................................... 61 WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN - LAGENORHYNCHUS ALBIROSTRIS ................................ 62 BLACK GUILLEMOT - CEPPHUS GRYLLE ..................................................................... 63 1 No longer being considered as drivers for identification in the MPA network following Workshop 3. Page no. LARGE-SCALE FEATURES CONTINENTAL SLOPE .................................................................................................... 64 FRONTS (AND OTHER HYDROGRAPHIC PROCESSES) .............................................