MNCR biotope codes with definitions, for biotopes with kelp in the British Isles
Habitat and outline description

of the biotope

higher

code

biotope

code
       
Infralittoral rock (and other hard substrata) IR  
Exposed infralittoral rock EIR  
Kelp with cushion fauna, foliose red seaweeds or

coralline crusts (exposed rock)

 EIR.KFaR  
  Alaria esculenta on sublittoral fringe bedrock EIR.KFaR Ala
  Alaria esculenta, Mytilus edulis and coralline crusts on very exposed sublittoral fringe bedrock EIR.KFaR Ala.Myt
  Alaria esculenta and Laminaria digitata on exposed sublittoral fringe bedrock EIR.KFaR Ala.Ldig
  Alaria esculenta forest with dense anemones and sponge crusts on extremely exposed infralittoral bedrock EIR.KFaR AlaAnSC
  Laminaria hyperborea forest with a faunal cushion (sponges and polyclinids) and foliose red seaweeds on very exposed infralittoral rock EIR.KFaR LhypFa
  Sparse Laminaria hyperborea forest and dense Paracentrotus lividus on exposed infralittoral limestone EIR.KFaR LhypPar
  Laminaria hyperborea with dense foliose red seaweeds on exposed infralittoral rock EIR.KFaR LhypR
  Laminaria hyperborea forest with dense foliose red seaweeds on exposed upper infralittoral rock EIR.KFaR LhypR.Ft
  Laminaria hyperborea park with dense foliose red seaweeds on exposed lower infralittoral rock EIR.KFaR LhypR.Pk
  Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria ochroleuca forest on exposed infralittoral rock EIR.KFaR LhypR.Loch
  Laminaria saccharina and or Saccorhiza polyschides on exposed infralittoral rock EIR.KFaR LsacSac
Moderately exposed infralittoral rock MIR  
Kelp with red seaweeds (moderately exposed rock) MIR.KR  
  Laminaria digitata on moderately exposed or tide-swept sublittoral fringe rock MIR.KR Ldig
  Laminaria digitata on moderately exposed sublittoral fringe rock MIR.KR Ldig.Ldig
  Laminaria digitata and under-boulder fauna on sublittoral fringe boulders MIR.KR Ldig.Ldig.Bo
  Laminaria digitata, ascidians and bryozoans on tide-swept sublittoral fringe rock MIR.KR Ldig.T
  Laminaria digitata and piddocks on sublittoral fringe soft rock MIR.KR Ldig.Pid
  Laminaria hyperborea and foliose red seaweeds on moderately exposed infralittoral rock MIR.KR Lhyp
  Laminaria hyperborea forest and foliose red seaweeds on moderately exposed upper infralittoral rock MIR.KR Lhyp.Ft
  Laminaria hyperborea park and foliose red seaweeds on moderately exposed lower infralittoral rock MIR.KR Lhyp.Pk
  Laminaria hyperborea forest, foliose red seaweeds and a diverse fauna on tide swept upper infralittoral rock MIR.KR Lhyp.TFt
  Laminaria hyperborea park with hydroids, bryozoans and sponges on tide-swept lower infralittoral rock MIR.KR Lhyp.TPk
  Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria ochroleuca forest on moderately exposed or sheltered infralittoral rock MIR.KR Lhyp.Loch
Grazed kelp with algal crusts MIR.GzK  
  Grazed Laminaria hyperborea with coralline crusts on infralittoral rock MIR.GzK LhypGz
  Grazed Laminaria hyperborea forest with coralline crusts on upper infralittoral rock MIR.GzK LhypGz.Ft
  Grazed Laminaria hyperborea park with coralline crusts on lower infralittoral rock MIR.GzK LhypGz.Pk
Sand or gravel-affected or disturbed kelp and

seaweed communities

 MIR.SedK  
  Saccorhiza polyschides and other opportunistic kelps on disturbed upper infralittoral rock MIR.SedK Sac
  Laminaria saccharina, Chorda filum and dense red seaweeds on shallow unstable infralittoral boulders and cobbles MIR.SedK LsacChoR
  Mixed kelps with scour tolerant and opportunistic foliose red seaweeds on scoured or sand covered infralittoral rock MIR.SedK XKScrR
  Sabellaria spinulosa with kelp and red seaweeds on sand influenced infralittoral rock MIR.SedK SabKR
  Ephemeral red seaweeds and kelps on tide-swept mobile infralittoral cobbles MIR.SedK EphR
  Halidrys siliquosa and mixed kelps on tide-swept infralittoral rock with coarse sediment MIR.SedK HalXK
Sheltered infralittoral rock SIR  
Silted kelp (stable rock) SIR.K  
  Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina on sheltered infralittoral rock SIR.K LhypLsac
  Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina forest on sheltered upper infralilittoral rock SIR.K LhypLsac.Ft
  Mixed Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria saccharina park on sheltered lower infralittoral rock SIR.K LhypLsac.Pk
  Laminaria saccharina on very sheltered infralittoral rock SIR.K Lsac
  Laminaria saccharina and Laminaria digitata on sheltered sublittoral fringe rock SIR.K Lsac.Ldig
  Laminaria saccharina forest on very sheltered upper infralittoral rock SIR.K Lsac.Ft
  Laminaria saccharina park on very sheltered lower infralittoral rock SIR.K Lsac.Pk
  Laminaria saccharina, foliose red seaweeds, sponges and ascidians on tide-swept infralittoral rock SIR.K Lsac.T
  Sparse Laminaria saccharina with Codium spp. and sparse red seaweeds on heavily silted very sheltered infralittoral rock SIR.K Lsac.Cod
  Echinus, brittlestars and coralline crusts on grazed lower infralittoral rock SIR.K EchBriCC
  Laminaria saccharina on reduced or low salinity infralittoral rock SIR.K LsacRS
  Sparse Laminaria saccharina with dense filamentous red seaweeds, sponges and Balanus crenatus on tide-swept variable salinity infralittoral rock SIR.K LsacRS.FiR
  Laminaria saccharina and Psammechinus miliaris on reduced salinity grazed infralittoral rock SIR.K LsacRS.Psa
  Laminaria saccharina with Phyllophora spp. and filamentous green seaweeds on reduced or low salinity infralittoral rock SIR.K LsacRS.Phy

In addition to the above biotopes which have kelp plants in them, there are 4 biotopes where, although included in the "kelp" higher codes, there is no kelp present in the biotope description. There are no biotope classifications which include kelp gametophytes

data abstracted from JNCC report no. 229 Marine Biotope Classification for Britain and Ireland, 1997

References