24.12 - Epirhitral and metarhitral streams

Classification des habitats du Paléarctique (2001)

Description

Upper and middle reaches of Palaearctic mountain streams ("Gebirgsbach", "alpine", "mountain" and "upland" streams), characterized by turbulent, irregular flow, by diurnal and annual temperature variations higher than in the crenon, and, by aquatic biocoenoses largely dominated by Turbellaria, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Diptera, by Bryophyta and epilithic Bacillariophyta, Cyanophycaea, Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta algae, with few, specialized, immerged macrophytes (unit 24.3). The unit corresponds to the "Trout zone" or "Salmonid zone" of western European ichthyological classifications.

Bibliographie

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)

Lelek, 1980; Haslam and Wolseley, 1981; Philippart and Vranken, 1983; Holmes, 1983; Haslam, 1987; Schubert, 1991; Leser, 1994: 459; Glazovskij, 1995: 27-28.