Identity:

Extremely exposed to moderately exposed or tide-swept bedrock and boulder shores. Extremely exposed shores dominated by mussels and barnacles, occasionally with robust fucoids or turfs of red seaweed. Tide-swept shores support communities of fucoids, sponges and ascidians on the mid to lower shore. Three biological subtypes have been described: Communities on very exposed to moderately exposed upper and mid eulittoral bedrock and boulders dominated by the mussel Mytilus edulis, barnacles Chthamalus spp. and/or Semibalanus balanoides and the limpets Patella spp. (A1.11); red and brown seaweeds able to tolerate the extreme conditions of exposed rocky shores, primarily the physical stresses caused by wave action (A1.12), and tide-swept shores in more sheltered areas (such as narrow channels in sea loch) with canopy forming fucoids and a rich filter-feeding community (A1.15)