BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Fucus spiralis
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Nicola White	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	Dr Graham Scott
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	All coasts of Britain and Ireland
Global distribution	Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Atlantic coast of France, Spain, Morocco, Azores, East coast of America from New Jersey to Nova Scotia and isolated reports in the Northern Pacific.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	Lower littoral fringe
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information	Fucus spiralis favours rocks with many cracks and fissures, which probably provide some protection for developing zygotes and adult plants. It can extend into estuaries up to the 10 psu isohaline. The presence or absence of suitable substrata is considered to be one of the most important factors determining the distribution of Fucus spiralis.

Substratum preferences	Bedrock Large to very large boulders Small boulders Cobbles	Physiographic preferences	Strait / sound Sealoch Ria / Voe Estuary
Biological zone	Lower Littoral Fringe	Wave exposure	Moderately Exposed Sheltered Very Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Strong (3-6 kn) Moderately Strong (1-3 kn) Weak (<1 kn) Very Weak (negligible)	Salinity	Reduced (18-30 psu) Variable (18-40 psu) Full (30-40 psu)
Habitat Preferences Additional Information
Distribution References	Niemeck & Mathieson, 1976, JNCC, 1999, Norton, 1985, Hardy & Guiry, 2003,