Shoreline Habitat Classification
Marine, intertidal, boulder, exposed, eulittoral
Boulder habitats exposed to the full range of wave energies are found on the outer coast and at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Communities on tops and sides of boulders are similar to those on bedrock, but the spaces on the lower edges and beneath boulders provide additional spatial complexity; these microhabitats tend to be shadier (and thus cooler) and less exposed to wave disturbance. Boulder habitats thus often have very high species diversity.
Class ID
5
Class name
Marine, intertidal, boulder, exposed, eulittoral
Length
13.00
Primary substrate
Bedrock
Secondary substrate
Boulder
Substrate stability
Stable
Substrate key details
No sediment except sand scour at some sites
Wave exposure
Exposed
Blue book classes
Marine intertidal rock: Exposed; and Exposed: sand-scoured (mouth of Straits only)
Map/survey site examples
Cape Flattery and other sites all outside 'Puget Sound'
Diagnostic species
Mytilus californianus
Pollicipes polymerus
Saccharina
Pisaster ochraceus
Anthopleura xanthogrammica
Balanidae
Lottia
Anoplarchus purpurescens
Gobiesox maeandricus
Oligocottus maculosus
VEC common associates
Phyllospadix
Haematopus
Habitat classification system
Type
Map link
Related images


