A full list of the traits, categories and their definitions are listed below.
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cylindrical / elongated
|
(BF6)
|
Cylindrical or elongated |
|
turbinate
|
(BF7)
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Whorled (e.g. gastropoda) |
|
bivalved
|
(BF8)
|
Having two valves joined by a flexible ligament (bivalves) |
|
conical
|
(BF9)
|
Cone shaped (e.g. limpets) |
|
mat
|
(BF10)
|
A dense mass which blankets the substratum |
|
dendroid / shrub
|
(BF11)
|
Having irregular branches near or above the ground |
|
foliose
|
(BF12)
|
Bearing leaves or leaf-like structures |
|
straplike / ribbonlike
|
(BF13)
|
In the form of strap or ribbon (algae) |
|
fillamentous / filiform
|
(BF14)
|
Slender and threadlike |
|
globulose
|
(BF1)
|
Round or oval (e.g. sea urchin, sponge, some bivalves) |
|
vermiform
|
(BF2)
|
Worm-like |
|
dorso-ventral compressed
|
(BF3)
|
Species that are flat, or encrusting (e.g. starfish, sponge) |
|
laterally compressed
|
(BF4)
|
Thin (e.g. isopods, amphipods, some bivalves) |
|
upright
|
(BF5)
|
E.g. coral, basket star, sponge |
|
fragile
|
(FR1)
|
Likely to crush, break, or crack as a result of physical impact (e.g. brittle star, soft worms, smaller crustaceans, mollusks with thin shells) |
|
intermediate
|
(FR2)
|
Liable to suffer minor damage, chips or cracks as result of physical impacts (e.g. mollusks with thicker shells, animals with harder cuticle like some echinoderms) |
|
robust
|
(FR3)
|
Unlikely to be damaged as a result of physical impacts, e.g. hard or tough enough to withstand impact, or leathery or wiry enough to resist impact (e.g. starfish, sponges, tunicates) |
|
gonochoristic
|
(MR1)
|
Having separate sexes throughout life |
|
simultaneous hermaphrodite
|
(MR2)
|
Condition of hermaphroditic animals (and plants) in which the reproductive organs of both sexes are present and functional at the same time |
|
sequential hermaphrodite
|
(MR3)
|
Sequential hermaphrodites are born as one sex, but can later change into the opposite sex |
|
asexual
|
(MR4)
|
Reproduction that is not sexual; that is, reproduction that does not include recombining the genotypes of two parents. e.g. budding, parthenogenesis, fission, fragmentation, vegetative |
|
external (broadcast spawner)
|
(FT2)
|
Fertilization external, eggs & sperm deposited on substrate or released into water (broadcast spawners) (e.g. echinoderms, cnidarians)
A method of reproduction during which the gametes (egg and sperm) unite outside the body |
|
internal
|
(FT1)
|
Fertilization internal, but no brooding, eggs deposited on substrate, indirect or direct development (e.g. gastropods)
Fertilization takes place within the female's body |
|
external (pseudocopulation)
|
(FT3)
|
A form of external fertilization where the partners are in close contact |
|
Structural Engineers
|
(structeng)
|
Ecosystem effects: Create living space, Reduce disturbance, Alter hydrodynamics, Alter sedimentation, Alter diversity / richness (usually enhance)
Marine and aquatic examples: Corals, Bivalves, Tube-building invertebrates, Seagrasses and aquatic Plants, Mangroves, Macroalgae |
|
Structural Engineers
|
(structeng)
|
Ecosystem effects: Create living space, Reduce disturbance, Alter hydrodynamics, Alter sedimentation, Alter diversity / richness (usually enhance); Marine and aquatic examples: Corals, Bivalves, Tube-building invertebrates, Seagrasses and aquatic Plants, Mangroves, Macroalgae |
|
Bioturbators
|
(bioturberke)
|
Ecosystem effects: Enhance disturbance, Mix Sediment, Alter biogeochemistry, Alter (usually reduce) diversity/richness; Marine and aquatic examples: Burrowing infauna (polychaetes, bivalves, crustaceans, echinoderms, nemerteans, fish), Excavators (sediment-biting fish, skates and rays, gray whales, crabs, echinoderms, horseshoe crabs) |
|
Light engineers
|
(lighteng)
|
Ecosystem effects:Alter light intensity, penetration, scatter, Alter turbidity; Marine and aquatic examples: Zooplankton, Phytoplankton, Filterers (e.g., bivalves, ascidians) |
|
Chemical engineers
|
(chemeng)
|
Ecosystem effects: Create biogeochemical gradients (physically or physiologically); Marine and aquatic examples: Microbes, Seagrasses and aquatic plants, Macroalgae, Many burrowers, e.g., lugworms |
|
littoral zone
|
(Z2)
|
The area of the foreshore and seabed that is exposed to the air at low tide and submerged at high tide, i.e., the area between tide marks |
|
supralittoral zone
|
(Z1)
|
The zone immediately above the highest water level and subjected to wetting by spray or wave splash |
|
sublittoral zone
|
(Z3)
|
The zone of the shore immediately below the lowest water level and the edge of the continental shelf (ca. 200 m) |
|
epipelagic
|
(Z4)
|
The zone of an ocean from the surface to 200m where photosynthesis can occur, due to the penetration of light |
|
mesopelagic
|
(Z5)
|
The water column from the upper aphotic zone (ca. 200 m) to a depth of ca. 100 m |
|
bathyal / bathypelagic zone
|
(Z6)
|
The steep descent zone from 200 m to 4000 m depth / the water column from ca. 1000 m to a depth of ca. 2500 m |
|
abyssal / abyssopelagic zone
|
(Z7)
|
The zone between 4000 - 6000 m depth / the zone of the ocean below the bathypelagic zone, with its lowest boundary at about 6000 m |
|
hadal / hadalpelagic zone
|
(Z8)
|
Sea floor deeper than 6000 m (e.g. oceanic trenches) / the zone of an ocean in oceanic trenches, lying between 6000 m and 10000 m |
|
algae
|
(HTS1)
|
Macroalgae surfaces, such as Laminaria spp., or fucoids |
|
biogenic reef
|
(HTS2)
|
Solid, massive structure which is created by accumulations of organisms, usually rising from the seabed, or at least clearly forming a substantial, discrete community or habitat which is very different from the surrounding seabed. The structure of the reef may be composed almost entirely of the reef building organism and its tubes or shells, or it may to some degree be composed of sediments, stones and shells bound together by the organism |
|
caves
|
(HTS3)
|
A hollow normally eroded in a cliff, with the penetration being greater than the width at the entrance. Caves can also be formed by boulders |
|
crevices / fissures
|
(HTS4)
|
Crevices are narrow cracks in a hard substratum <10 mm wide at its entrance, with the penetration being greater than the width at the entrance. Fissures are cracks in a hard substratum >10 mm wide at its entrance, with the depth being greater than the width at the entrance |
|
maerl / coralligenous habitats
|
(HTS5)
|
A coralligenous habitat is defined by the presence of a bioherm of coralline algae grown at low irradiance levels and in relatively calm waters [1119]. Maerl denotes loose-lying, normally non-geniculate (i.e. not jointed), coralline red algae. Depending on the terminology used, maerl refers either to a class of rhodoliths, or may be considered distinct from rhodoliths in lacking a non-algal core. Maerl beds are composed of living or dead unattached corallines forming accumulations with or without terrigenous material |
|
other species
|
(HTS6)
|
Epibiont of other species |
|
overhangs
|
(HTS7)
|
An overhanging part of a rock formation |
|
rockpools
|
(HTS8)
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A depression in the littoral zone of a rocky seashore, where, during low tide, seawater is left behind |
|
salt marsh
|
(HTS9)
|
A marsh whose water contains a considerable quantity of dissolved salts |
|
seagrass
|
(HTS10)
|
Habitat associated with seagrass meadows communities. Seagrasses are flowering plants that are adapted to living fully submerged and rooted in estuarine and marine environments |
|
strandline
|
(HTS11)
|
A line on the shore composing debris deposited by a receding tide; commonly used to denote the line of debris at the level of extreme high water |
|
under boulders
|
(HTS12)
|
Under unattached rocks that can be very large (>1024 mm), large (512 - 1024 mm) or small (256 - 512 mm) |
|
water column
|
(HTS13)
|
Pelagic habitat |
|
hard substrates
|
(HTS14)
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e.g. boulders, cobbles, bedrock, gravel |
|
soft sediments
|
(HTS15)
|
Deposits with a high water content (near or above the liquid limit) where the percolating skeleton is made of fine-grained soils (clay fraction above ~ 20%), with a high degree of saturation, and subjected to low effective confinement (e.g. sand, mud, clay, silt) |
|
overhangs
|
(HT7)
|
An overhanging part of a rock formation |
|
rockpools
|
(HT8)
|
A depression in the littoral zone of a rocky seashore, where, during low tide, seawater is left behind |
|
salt marsh
|
(HT9)
|
A marsh whose water contains a considerable quantity of dissolved salts |
|
seagrass
|
(HT10)
|
Habitat associated with seagrass meadows communities. Seagrasses are flowering plants that are adapted to living fully submerged and rooted in estuarine and marine environments |
|
strandline
|
(HT11)
|
A line on the shore composing debris deposited by a receding tide; commonly used to denote the line of debris at the level of extreme high water |
|
under boulders
|
(HT12)
|
Under unattached rocks that can be very large (>1024 mm), large (512 - 1024 mm) or small (256 - 512 mm) |
|
water column
|
(HT13)
|
Pelagic habitat |
|
soft sediments
|
(HT14)
|
Deposits with a high water content (near or above the liquid limit) where the percolating skeleton is made of fine-grained soils (clay fraction above ~ 20%), with a high degree of saturation, and subjected to low effective confinement (e.g. sand, mud, clay, silt) |
|
hard substrates
|
(HT15)
|
e.g. boulders, cobbles, bedrock, gravel |
|
algae
|
(HT1)
|
Macroalgae surfaces, such as Laminaria spp., or fucoids |
|
biogenic reef
|
(HT2)
|
Solid, massive structure which is created by accumulations of organisms, usually rising from the seabed, or at least clearly forming a substantial, discrete community or habitat which is very different from the surrounding seabed. The structure of the reef may be composed almost entirely of the reef building organism and its tubes or shells, or it may to some degree be composed of sediments, stones and shells bound together by the organism |
|
caves
|
(HT3)
|
A hollow normally eroded in a cliff, with the penetration being greater than the width at the entrance. Caves can also be formed by boulders |
|
crevices / fissures
|
(HT4)
|
Crevices are narrow cracks in a hard substratum <10 mm wide at its entrance, with the penetration being greater than the width at the entrance. Fissures are cracks in a hard substratum >10 mm wide at its entrance, with the depth being greater than the width at the entrance |
|
maerl / coralligenous habitats
|
(HT5)
|
A coralligenous habitat is defined by the presence of a bioherm of coralline algae grown at low irradiance levels and in relatively calm waters [1119]. Maerl denotes loose-lying, normally non-geniculate (i.e. not jointed), coralline red algae. Depending on the terminology used, maerl refers either to a class of rhodoliths, or may be considered distinct from rhodoliths in lacking a non-algal core. Maerl beds are composed of living or dead unattached corallines forming accumulations with or without terrigenous material |
|
other species
|
(HT6)
|
Epibiont of other species |
|
drifter
|
(MV5)
|
An organism whose movement is depended on wind or water currents |
|
temprorary attachment
|
(MV6)
|
Attached to a substratum but able to move across or through it |
|
sessile/none/permanent attachment
|
(MV1)
|
No movement as adult (sponge, coral)
Non motile, permananetly attached at the base |
|
burrower
|
(MV2)
|
Movement in the sediment (e.g. annelids, echinoderms, crustaceans, bivalves) |
|
crawler
|
(MV3)
|
An organism that moves along on the substratum via movements of its legs, appendages or muscles (e.g. crab, snail) |
|
swimmer (facultative)
|
(MV4)
|
Movement above the sediment (e.g. Amphipoda) |
|
scavenger
|
(FH7)
|
An organism that feeds on dead organic material (e.g. crabs, whelks) |
|
photoautotroph
|
(FH8)
|
An organism that can produce energy using light and carbon dioxide via the process of photosynthesis |
|
chemoautotroph
|
(FH9)
|
An organism that obtains energy by the oxidation of electron donors in their environments using organic or inorganic molecules |
|
grazer
|
(FH10)
|
An organism that feeds on plants (e.g. seagrasses) and on other multicellular autotrophs (such as algae) |
|
surface deposit feeder
|
(FH1)
|
Active removal of detrital material from the sediment surface. Includes species which scrape and/or graze algal matter from surfaces. |
|
subsurface deposit feeder
|
(FH2)
|
Removal of detrital material from within the sediment matrix (e.g. Echinocardium) |
|
filter / suspension feeder
|
(FH3)
|
Sponge, coral, hydrozoa, bivalves |
|
opportunist
|
(FH4)
|
An organism that can use different types of food sources |
|
predator
|
(FH5)
|
An organism that feeds by preying on other organisms (e.g. starfish). |
|
parasite/commensal
|
(FH6)
|
An organism that lives in or on another living organism (the host), from which it obtains food and other requirements. |
|
yes
|
(EEB6)
|
if yes, specify into which category below |
|
regenerator
|
(EEB7)
|
Regenerators are excavators that dig and continuously to maintain burrows in the sediment and by doing so they mechanically transfer sediment from depth to the surface |
|
blind-ended ventilation
|
(EEB8)
|
Ventilation occurs when animals flush their burrows with overlying water for respiratory and feeding purposes. Blind-ended ventilation occurs when I-shaped burrows are flushed uni- or bidirectionally depending on the permeability of the sediment. |
|
open-ended ventilation
|
(EEB9)
|
In open-ended ventilation the burrows are U-shaped and can be flushed easily from one end to the other |
|
habitat-building
|
(EEB10)
|
Species which create structures which in turn form new habitats for other species |
|
biodiffusor / diffusive mixing
|
(EEB1)
|
Surficial movement of sediment and/or particles, resulting from movement or feeding activities on the surface |
|
surface deposition
|
(EEB2)
|
Deposition of particles at the sediment surface resulting from e.g. defecation or egestion (pseudofaeces) by, for example, surface deposit feeding organisms (e.g. holothuroids, bivalves, tubicolous polychaetes) |
|
conveyor belt transport (upward)
|
(EEB3)
|
Translocation of sediment and/or particulates from depth within the sediment to the surface during subsurface deposit feeding or burrow excavation |
|
downward (reverse) conveyor
|
(EEB4)
|
The subduction of particles from the surface to some depth by feeding or defecation |
|
none
|
(EEB5)
|
No bioturbation (e.g. sessile animals on rocky ground) |
|
interstitial
|
(EP4)
|
Living in the spaces between grains in a sediment |
|
pelagic
|
(EP5)
|
Inhabiting the open sea, excluding the sea floor |
|
epilithic
|
(EP6)
|
Attached to / growing on the surface of rock |
|
endolithic
|
(EP7)
|
Organism that colonize the interior of any kind of rock but not actively boring into it |
|
lithotomous
|
(EP8)
|
Actively boring into rocks and living in these burrows |
|
boring in biogenic substrate
|
(EP9)
|
Boring in biogenic hard substrate and living in these burrows |
|
epizoic
|
(EP10)
|
Growing or living on or in a living animal (but not parasitic upon it) |
|
epiphytic
|
(EP11)
|
Growing on or in a living plant (but not parasitic upon it) |
|
parasitic
|
(EP12)
|
Living in or on another organism at the expense of this host |
|
endobenthic / infauna
|
(EP1)
|
Lives in the sediment |
|
epibenthic
|
(EP2)
|
Lives on the surface of the seabed |
|
hyper-benthic
|
(EP3)
|
Living in the water column, but (primarily/occasionally) feeds on the bottom; bentho-pelagic |
