EUNIS and Mediterranean marine habitats

Sabrina Agnesi, Giulia Mo, Leonardo TunesiISPRA - Rome, Italy (ETC-BD partner)

The EUNIS habitat classification, governance & future developments3-4 October, 2011

European Environment Agency , Copenhagen

Mediterranean marine benthic habitats were incorporated into the EUNIS habitat classification in early 2000s

Mediterranean habitats (biocenoesis, facies and associations) were inserted into the hierarchical system based on an analysis of their known characteristics with respect to a specific EUNIS template.

Aspects which were considered in the process were known determining parameters for each habitat type distribution such as:- depth zone,- substrate type, - energy, - characteristic and accompanying species etc.

PREMISE

Biological communities fall within specific biological zones determined by delimiting parameters such as: exposure to seawater and spray (for the shallow superficial zones), amount of light reaching the seabottom, and slope angle change (for the deepest zones).

The zoning in the Mediterranean benthic habitat classification

S = supralittoral: reached by seaspray and never submerged . M= mesolitoral: determined by high and low tideI= infralittoral: extends from lower limit of the tide until max depth where photosynthesys of Posidonia oceanica and photophilic algae occursC= circalittoral: deepest phytal (where plant life can occur) zone; lower limit determined by shelf breakB= bathyal: characterised by slope of continental shelf marginA= abyssal: starts where slope angle changes into flattened area

“Classification of benthic marine Habitat types for the Mediterranean Region” (UNEP (OCA)/MED WG 149/5 Rev. 1)

-a habitat revision collated under the frame work of the SPA/BIO secretariat of UNEP’s Barcelona Convention

- aim of the document: define a list of univocal assemblages existing in the Mediterranean, and then identify those with highest conservation interest

Which habitat reference list was taken into account when the habitats were first inserted into EUNIS?

UNEP (OCA)/MED WG 149/5 Rev. 1

Substrate

Zone

Tot. N. Bioc.

Tot. N° facies / assoc.

Tot. N. Bioc.

Tot. N° facies / assoc.

Tot. N. Bioc.

Tot. N° facies / assoc.

Tot. N. Bioc.

Tot. N° facies / assoc.

Tot. N. Bioc.

Tot. N° facies / assoc.

Tot. N. Bioc.

Tot. N° facies / assoc.

Tot. N. Bioc.

Tot. N° facies / assoc.

Supralittoral 1 1 5 1 1 2

Mesolittoral 1 1 1 1 3 15 1 2

Infralittoral 5 13 1 1 1 35 1 12 1 4

Circalittoral 1 3 4 13 3 18

Bathyal 1 5 1 2

Abyssal 1

Boulders & cobblesMuddy sands and

Mud (estuaries Sandy mud,

sand, cobbles Posidonia oceanicaMud Sand Rock

Zone Tot. number of Bioceonosis

Tot. N° facies/ associations

Supralittoral 4 7

Mesolittoral 6 19

Infralittoral 9 65

Circalittoral 8 34

Bathyal 4 5

Abyssal 1

Total 32 130UNEP (OCA)/MED WG 149/5 Rev. 1

All the main Mediterranean benthic habitats listed by Barcelona Convention have been incorporated into EUNIS (ETC/BD activity).

EUNIS LEVEL -2 GROUPING

TOTAL n. habitats

A1 22

A2 9

A3 37

A4 23

A5 59

A6 9

B2 1

B3 2

TOTAL 162

“Barcelona Convention” classification system recognizes the existence of distinct bioceonosis and facies/associations occurring univocally in each biological zone

Proposal for discussion and future work What updates are needed?

a) Some of the existing text definitions present in the system could be enriched to the benefit of the user.

Proposal: -Provide a more thorough text definition for some of the presently listed Med habitat types. -Upload this into the system.

Note: at the moment ISPRA has revised most habitat text definitions (covered up to part of the circalittoral) and with minor effort remaining deeper habitats can be defined.

b) It is possible that some small assemblages may have been ignored in the Barcelona convention habitat recognition process (i.e. facies of Mytilus galloprovincialis in polluted waters). These should be inserted as new entries.

Proposal: -These can be revised within the framework of the revision effort of point a) above.

What updates are needed? (cont.)

c) any recent knowledge on new habitats needing amendment in EUNIS?

EUSeaMap1 (DG-Mare funded project) identified new habitats in Mediterranean deep waters. These were given a general existing EUNIS code as follows:

A6.2 Deep sea mixed sediments BathyalA6.4 Deep sea muddy sand Bathyal

A6.2 Deep sea mixed sediments Abyssal zoneA6.3 Deep sea sand Abyssal zoneA6.4 Deep sea muddy sand Abyssal zone

Though they need to be studied from a biological community point of view, the project shows their existence in the region and they have different characteristics in terms of depth zones.

Proposal: Modify category A6 (deep sea) into two broad categories that would account for the different substrate types according to distinct biological zones.

1Cameron, A. and Askew, N. (eds.). 2011. EUSeaMap - Preparatory Action for development and assessment of a European broad-scale seabed habitat map final report. Available at http://jncc.gov.uk/euseamap

Proposal for discussion and future work

Proposal for discussion and future work Considerations on the system’s structure functional to future application

1) All main “Barcelona convention“ habitats are presently “fitted” into EUNIS.

The EUNIS habitat classification objective to give a nomenclature code to each habitat /community known to exist in European waters has been reached ( except for minor updates and modifications of points a & b before).

2) Usage of the hierarchical positioning of each habitat type to draw comparisons amongst habitats that are grouped in similar hierarchical ranking groupings can currently lead to non homogenous habitat considerations for Mediterranean habitats (i.e. when proposing that habitats be monitored or mapped etc. at a given set EUNIS level).

Why? Criteria guiding the subdivision at some of the level 2 and 3 are not homogenous between groups. This leads to ecologically uneven subdivisions amongst some A2 and A3 groupings (i.e. habitat groupings are not being differentiated with a similar approach - i.e. major substrate – hard vs. soft, and depth zone –infralittoral, circalittoral, bathyal, abyssal).

This is particularly evident in the way Mediterranean habitats fit in EUNIS.

Let’s look at this a little more in detail……………

Supralittoral (S)

Mesolittoral (M)

Infralittoral (I)

Circalittoral ( C )

Bathyal (B)

Abyssal (A)

Mud 1 Mud 1 3 Mud 1 5 Mud 1

Muddy sands and mud

1 2 Sandy mud, sand, cobbles and rock

1 12

Sand 1 5 Sand 1 1 Sand 5 13Sand 4 13 Sand 1 Boulder and cobbles

1 Boulder and cobbles

1 1 Boulder and cobbles

1 1

Rock 1 2 Rock 3 15Rock 1 35Rock 3 18 Rock 2

Posidonia oceanica

1 4

Subs

trat

e ca

tego

ry

EUNIS II Level

B2

B3

B1

Coastal habitats

Biological Zone

Littoral rock & other hard substrata

A1

Littoral sediment

A2

Infralittoral rock

A3

Circalittoral rock

A4

Sublittoral sediment

A5

Deep-sea bed

A6

Supralittoral (S)

Mesolittoral (M)

Infralittoral (I)

Circalittoral ( C )

Bathyal (B)

Abyssal (A)

Mud 1 Mud 1 3 Mud 1 5 Mud 1

Muddy sands and mud

1 2 Sandy mud, sand, cobbles and rock

1 12

Sand 1 5 Sand 1 1 Sand 5 13Sand 4 13 Sand 1 Boulder and cobbles

1 Boulder and cobbles

1 1 Boulder and cobbles

1 1

Rock 1 2 Rock 3 15Rock 1 35Rock 3 18 Rock 2

Posidonia oceanica

1 4

B2

B3

B1

Coastal habitats Littoral rock &

other hard substrata

A1

Littoral sediment

A2

Infralittoral rock

A3

Circalittoral rock

A4

Sublittoral sediment

A5

Deep-sea bed

A6

Infralittoral and circalittoral soft bottoms are all listed

under A5

Bathyal and abyssal, soft and hard bottoms are all listed

under A6

Lev.

Group categories

1 A Marine

2

A 1Littoral rock

A2Littoral sediment

A3 Infralittoral rock

A4Circalittoral rock

A5Sublittoral sediment

A6Deep sea

3

A1.1High energy litt. rock

A2.1Littoral coarse sediment

A2.2Littoral sand and muddy sand

A3.1 Atl. & Med. high energy infralittoral rock

A3.2 Atl. & Med. moderate energy littoral rock

A4.2 Atl. & Med. moderate energy

A5.1Sublitt. coarse sediment

A5.2Sublitt. sand

A5.4Sublitt. mixed sediments

A6.1 Deep sea rock

A6.5 Deep sea mud

4

A1.13 Med. comm. upper mediolitt. rock

A2.13 Med. comm. mediolitt. coarse detr.

A2.25Med. comm. mediolitt. sands

A3.13 Med. comm. very exposed wave

A4.26 Med. comm. Mod. exposed wave

A5.13Infralittoral coarse sed.

A5.23 Infralittoral fine sand

A5.47Med. comm. shelf-edge detritic bottoms

A6.51Med. comm. bathyal muds

A6.52Comm. abyssal muds

5

A1.131 Ass. B. atropurpurea

A2.251Facies O. bicornis

A3.132 Ass. C. amentacea

A4.265 Association Sargassum spp.

A5.138 Ass. with rodolithes

A5.235 Med. comm. fine sands shallow waters

A5.471 Facies L. phalangium

A6.511Facies T. muricata

6

Facies with L. medit.

Differentiation per biological

zone

Differentiation per biological

zone

Differentiation per biological zone

Differentiation per gross substrate

Differentiation per gross substrate (hard vs. soft)

Proposal for discussion and future work Considerations on the system’s structure functional to future application (cont.)

2) Considerations on the hiearchical subdivisions at level 2 and 3

Proposal:Would it be possible to subdivide A5 (sublittoral sediments) into two distinct level 2 categories: infralittoral and circalittoral?

Would it be possible to differentiate A6 (deep sea) into three distinct level 2 categories:- Bathyal rock- Bathyal sediments- Abyssal sediments

3) EUNIS habitat classification is the most exhaustive database tool containing updated description on the characteristics of all marine habitats across European seas.

This habitat coding will allow wide-range mapping initiatives which will produce cartographies using a univocal habitat coding language. This will allow to visualize the spatial extent of each habitat /community type in Europe and show how the European habitat biodiversity is distributed and abundant throughout space. It will take some time for this to happen throughout all of Europe.

Meanwhile, can we enrich the system, and then interrogate it so as to evaluate which components of habitat diversity are present/absent in the different geographic seas?

Proposal:This could be done by inserting a “flag-up” option per biogeographic sea in every habitat definition that we have so far inserted.

Proposal for discussion and future work Considerations on the system’s structure functional to future application (cont.)