11.2 - Benthic communities

Classification des habitats du Paléarctique (2001)

Description

Communities of marine animals and algae occupying the sea floor. Included are all communities of animals and algae of the infralittoral, circalittoral and deeper zones, situated below the level of average low spring tides, or of regular emergence through wind or atmospheric pressure variations. Also included are communities of marine animals and algae occupying the mediolittoral zone, comprised between the low and high tide levels of average spring tides or within the regular range of wind or atmospheric pressure induced sea-level fluctuations, as well as marine assemblies installed in the supralittoral zone, reached only by spray, exceptional waves or exceptional high tides.

Bibliography

Devillers P., Devillers-Terschuren J. & Vander Linden C., 2001. PHYSIS Palaearctic Habitat Classification Database. Updated to 10 December 2001. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles, Bruxelles. (Source)

Molinier and Picard, 1959; Augier, 1982, 1985; Sorokin, 1983; Bournérias & al., 1983: 27; Kullenberg, 1983: 328-329; Mitchell, 1987; Harmelin & al., 1987; Fiala-Médione & al., 1987; Wood, 1988; Barnes and Hughes, 1988; Britton and Morton, 1989; Munda, 1991; Wallentinus, 1991; Lipkin, 1991; Lalli and Parsons, 1995: 183-255; Schembri, 1999a, 1999b; Gunnarsson, 2000; Galan, 2000; Sigurdsson, 2000; Jonsson and Gunnarsson, 2000.