| S41 Priority Species |
Priority species listed under Section 41 (S41) of the 2006 Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act. |
status |
| saline lagoon |
A relatively rare aquatic habitat heavily influenced by sea water but not wave action. Subjected to evaporation or precipitation makes them vary between hyper-saline and weakly saline throughout the season. |
habitat |
| saline silt |
Silts in coastal situations that are strongly influenced by saline water. |
resource |
| saltmarsh |
A habitat dominated by plants and covered by saltwater at high tide. They are restricted to less exposed shorelines, characterised by net deposition of fine sediment. However, they are still defined by levels of salinity and tidal disturbance. |
habitat |
| saltmarsh & transitional brackish marsh |
The assemblage type is mainly found in areas that are inundated by spring tides or storm surges. |
SAT |
| saltmarsh vegetation |
Terrestrial plants including reeds, grasses, herbs and rushes that tend to form dense stands, stand tall and root in wet soil and/or water. |
resource |
| sand |
A granular material consisted of finely divided rock particles often found underlying heathland, dunes and some grassland systems and can be interspersed with larger rocks and cobbles. |
resource |
| sandy beach |
A habitat which includes the drift line and immediate upper intertidal and supralittoral zones of seashore dominated by sand and, to a lesser extent, shingle. The habitat is saline and subject to tidal disturbance, augmented by storm surges at irregular intervals. |
habitat |
| sandy beaches |
The assemblage type is found on sandy shores subject to tidal disturbance. |
SAT |
| sandy river |
An in-channel, submerged habitat with a sandy river bed. |
resource |
| sap runs (adult) |
Species that feed on sap as adults. |
resource |
| sapwood & bark decay |
Species associated with the outer layers of decaying wood in various situations, on both young and old trees. |
resource |
| scorched wood |
A small number of species are only known from fire-damaged wood, or are most regularly found in this situation. Others are associated with bonfire sites. |
resource |
| scrub |
A sub-woodland tree resource, formed of either young tree species, or those forming woodland understory in woodland, either as woodland edge or as an invading resource into other habitats. It has value in offering shelter, micro-climates, and additional structure to invertebrates, but can diminish other resources if unchecked. |
resource |
| scrub at wood edge/glade |
Species only associated with scrub and understorey at the wood edge or within a glade where there is direct sunlight but the conditions are sheltered. |
resource |
| scrub edge |
The assemblage type is found where scrub or woodland grades into or is interspersed with open areas of grassland, heathland or early successional vegetation types. |
SAT |
| scrub-heath & moorland |
The assemblage type is found on nutrient-poor, acid soils where herbaceous or dwarf shrub vegetation is dominant, although trees and taller shrubs can be an important component of the overall habitat. |
SAT |
| sea cliff |
Hard rocks forming vertical and near vertical cliff faces at the coast, supporting invertebrates that utilise rock crevices and bare ground, as well as associated thin soils and open vegetation at the cliff top. |
habitat |
| seeds |
Species feeding on the seeds of the plant. |
resource |
| seepage |
This wide ranging assemblage occupies a range of seepage types from shaded seepages to open calcareous seepages. |
SAT |
| Seepage fidelity score - acid-neutral |
Seepage fidelity score for species associated with acid-neutral seepages |
quality index |
| Seepage fidelity score - calcareous |
Seepage fidelity score for species associated with calcareous seepages |
quality index |
| Seepage fidelity score - slumping cliff |
Seepage fidelity score for species associated with slumping cliff seepages |
quality index |
| Seepage fidelity score - stable cliff |
Seepage fidelity score for species associated with stable cliff seepages |
quality index |
| Seepage fidelity score - woodland |
Seepage fidelity score for species associated with woodland seepages |
quality index |
| seepages |
A seepage is a moist or wet place where water, usually groundwater, reaches the ground surface from an underground aquifer. |
resource |
| shaded seepage |
Shaded seepages are found under alder or willow (sallow) woodland in valley bottoms, and under birch or sometimes alder-ash woodland on hillsides. The soil is constantly saturated and usually contains a large proportion of organic matter giving rise to deep ooze. |
resource |
| shaded woodland floor |
Found in closed canopy woodland and scrub, where it is separated vertically rather than horizontally from arboreal assemblage types. It is associated with low levels of disturbance. |
habitat |
| shadiness |
Description of the amount of shade required within a woodland, currently classed as light or heavy |
habitat |
| shallow freshwater pond |
A pond (generally up to 2ha in area) is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake . Freshwater ponds are those that are not affected by a high salinity. |
resource |
| shallow water |
Standing water that tends to be just a few centimetres deep. As such it is often a lot warmer, favouring plant growth as well augmenting animal activity. |
resource |
| shingle |
Rocky substrates larger than sand, and formed of pebbles and stones. Often found on beaches. Note - different from riparian shingle that is found next to rivers. |
resource |
| shingle banks |
This assemblage is dependent on repeated turnover of coarse grained sediment by spates and so is sensitive to management of river channels, river catchments and changes in rainfall patterns. |
SAT |
| short sward & bare ground |
In lowland habitats where disturbance removes vegetation to create areas of bare or sparsely vegetated ground. |
habitat |
| slow flow |
Water flow that does not have the energy to scour away vegetation, often leaving fringing vegetation. Silt deposition is common. Associated with canals and sluggish rivers. |
resource |
| slow-flowing rivers |
The assemblage type is found in slow-flowing rivers on silty substrata, generally in lower and middle catchments. |
SAT |
