Biogenic substrate

The EUNIS classification refers to "biogenic habitat" but the EMODnet Seabed Habitats agreed to "refer to "biogenic substrate" to highlight that this is specifically about substrate-modifying features."

"Biogenic substrate strictly refers to beds or reefs of a species that meet similar criteria to Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica meadows" (seagrass meadows) meaning that they:

• Cover and replace the underlying substrate as a structuring factor, so that the underlying substrate cannot always be detected

• Can occur on different substrate types, so that the underlying substrate is difficult to infer
• Are detectable using acoustic survey techniques, so that they are typically mapped in the same way as other substrate types

Source:

Lillis H., Allen H., Agnesi S., Annunziatellis A., Vasquez M. (2021). "A combined, harmonized data product showing the best evidence for the extent of biogenic substrate in Europe". Retrieved from: www.emodnet-seabedhabitats.eu, accessed on 2022-03-15.

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