Marine

Ecological

Succession in

Bantry Bay

Paper listing the predicted ecological succession of marine life in Bantry Bay, with its beginning on bare concrete with crevices

Marine ecological succession in Bantry Bay

Cyanobacteria and microscopic algae – Diatoms – Dinoflagellates – Filamentous and incrustant
algae – Small invertebrates (cnidaria, crustacean, mollusc, tunicates, etc.) – Filter invertebrates
producing larvae (annelids, cnidaria, molluscs, tunicates, etc.) – Macroscopic seaweed – Big
invertebrates (cnidaria, crustacean, equinoderms, molluscs, etc.) -Fishes – Mammals.

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and microscopic algae

Calothrix sp.
Richelia sp.
Prochlorococcus sp. (major and most abundant primary and oxygen producer in the ocean).
Synechococcus sp.
Trichodesmium sp.

Diatoms

Chaetoceros sp.
Hemiaulus sinensis
Paralia sp.
Phaeocystis sp.
Pseudo-nitzschia sp. Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima, Pseudo-nitzschia seriata
Rhizosolenia sp.
Skeletonema sp. Skeletonema costatum
Thalassionema sp.
Thalassiosira sp.

Dinoflagellates

Alexandrium sp.
Azadinium sp.
Dinophysis sp. Dinophysis acuminata, Dinophysis acuta
Heterocapsa sp. Heterocapsa triquetra
Karenia sp. Karenia mikomotoi
Sea sparkle–Noctiluca scintillans  Biotoxins- ASP, DSP, PSP.

lamentous algae

Brown seaweed– Colpomenia peregrina, Ectocarpus siliculosus, Ellachista flaccida, Punctaria
latifolia, Asperococcus fistulosus, Petalonia fascia.
Green seaweed– Cladophora sp., (Cladophora rupestris, Cladophora glomerata), Ulva sp., (Ulva
intestinalis, Ulva compressa), Gomontia polyrhiza, Bryopsis plumosa.
Red seaweed– Bangia fuscopurpurea, Ceramium sp., Ceramium virgatum, Polysiphonia sp.
(Polysiphonia lanosa), Lomentaria articulata (can be cylindrical), Plocamium cartilagineum,
Porphyra linearis.

Incrustant algae

Coralline algae: Lithophyllum incrustans, Mesophyllum lichenoides, Phymatolithon lenormandii,
Phymatolithon lamii, Pneophyllum sp.
Ralfsia verrucosa

Mollusc: Gasteropods

Blue ray limpet– Patina pelucida
Common limpet– Patella vulgata
Common piddock– Pholas dactylus
Common whelk– Buccinium undatum
Dog whelk– Nucella lapillus
Edible periwinkle– Littorina littorea
Flat periwinkle– Littorina littoralis
Sea slug– Greilada elegans
Sea hare– Aplysia punctata

Sponges, tunicates, briozoos

Ascidia mentula
Breadcrumb sponge- Halichondria panicea
Dead man’s finger– Alcyonium digitatum
Leucoselenia sp.                                 

Star ascidian– Botryllus schlosseri

Cnidaria

Common jellyfish– Aurelia aurita
Chysaora isosceles

Anemones (Anthozoa, Cnidaria)

Beadlet anemone– Actinia equina
Jewel anemone– Corynactes viridis
Snakelocks anemone– Anemonia sulcata

Annelids

Lugworm– Arenicola marina
Ragworm– Nereis diversicolor
Peacock worm– Sabellaria pavonia
Spirorbis borealis

Mollusc: Bivalves

Blue Mussel– Mytilus edulis
Common oyster– Ostrea edulis
Otter shell– Lutraria lutraria
Peppery furrow shell– Scrobicularia plana
Pod razorshell– Ensis siliqua
Toothed topshell– Monodonta lineata

Mollusc: Cephalopoda

Common octopus– Octopus vulgaris
Cuttlefish– Sepia officinalis

Crustacean

Acorn barnacle– Semiballanus ballanoides                                                                            Barnacles (cirripeds)– Chtamallus stellatus, Elminius modestus
Black squat lobster– Galathea squamifera
Broad-clawed porcelain crab– Porcellana platycheles
Common lobster– Homarus vulgaris
Common prawn– Leander serratus
Common shrimp– Crangon vulgaris
Common spider crab– Maja brachydactyla
Edible crab– Cancer pagurus
Goose barnacle– Lepas anatifera
Hermit crab– Eupagurus bernhardus
Sea slater– Ligia oceanica
Shore crab– Carcinus maenas
Velvet swimming crab– Macropipus puber

Equinoderms

Common starfish– Asteria rubens
Common sea urchin– Equinus esculentus
Cotton spinner– Holothuria forskali
Cushion starfish– Asterina gibbosa
Heart urchin– Equinocardium cordatum

Elasmobranquii (sharks and rays)

Basking shark– Cetorhinus maximus
Bull huss– Scyliorhinus stellaris
Lesser spotted dogfish– Scyliorhinus canicula
Thornback ray– Raja clavata
Thorny skate ray– Amblyraja radiata

Fish

Atlantic cod– Gadus morhua
Bass– Dicentrachus labrax                         

Conger eel– Conger conger                   

Common Blenn– Blennius pholis               

Corkwing wrasse– Crenilabrus melops     

Lumpsucker- Cyclopterus lumpus           

Northern pike– Esox lucius   

Rock goby– Gobius paganellus                   

Sole– Solea solea                                         

Pollack– Pollachius pollachius

Mammals

Bottlenose dolphin– Tursiops truncatus
Common seal– Phoca vitulina
Grey seal- Halichoerus grypus
Harbour porpoise– Phocoena phocoena
Minke whale- Balaenoptera acutorostrata

Four substrates: rock, mud, sand, maerl. Species and substrates can be mixed

Rock

Brown seaweed– Channeled wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata), Serrated wrack (Fucus serratus),
Bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus), Eggwrack (Ascophyllum nodosum), Thongweed
(Himanthalia elongata), Chorda filum. Kelp species. Laminaria digitata, Alaria esculenta,
Laminaria ochroleuca, Saccharina latissima, Sargassum muticum
Green seaweed- Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca), Ulva sp., Codium tomentosum
Red seaweed- (Irish moss) Chondrus crispus, (Dulse, dillisk) Palmaria palmata, Nitophyllum
puntactaum, Delesseria sanguinea, Corallina officinalis, Osmundea pinnatifida
Hydroids– Nemertesia anteninna, Halecium halecinum
Tunicates- Sea squirt– Phallusia mammilata

Mud-sand

Annelid, sabellid– Myxicola infundibulum
Brittlestars– Amphiura chiajei, Amphirua filiformis
Common cockle– Cardium edule                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Dublin Bay prawn– Nephrops norvegicus
Flounder– Platichthys flesus
Laver spire shell- Hydrobia ulvae
Masked crab- Corystes cassivellaunus                   
Sand hopper– Talitris saltator
Sea pen- Virgularia mirabilis (Pennatulacea, Anthozoa, Cnidaria)

Maerl

Lithothamnion corallioides & Phymatolihon calcareum >> Phymatolithon lusitanicum,
Lithophyllum hibernicum + Crusty coralline– Lithophyllum nitorum
Brown seaweed– Dichtyota dichotoma
Red seaweed- Calliblepharis cilliata
Crabs- Spider crab (Macropodia rostrata), Liocarcinus corrugatus

Seagrasses

Common eelgrass– Zostera marina
Zostera noltii

Bibliography

Emblow C.S., Picton B.E., Morrow C.C., Sides E.M. & Costello M.J. (1994). Marine communities
of the Bantry Bay area, and an assessment of their nature conservation importance. Field
survey report. Environmental Science Unit. Trinity College. Dublin.

Gallagher F. (2020) Introduction to Seaweeds of Inner Bantry Bay.

Guiry M.D. (1973). The marine algal flora of Bantry Bay, Co. Cork. Irish Fisheries Investigations,
Series B (Marine) 10: 1-22.

Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. (2022). AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National
University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org.

Pardo C, Lopez L, Peña V, HernándezKantún J, Le Gall L, et al. (2014) A Multilocus Species
Delimitation Reveals a Striking Number of Species of Coralline Algae Forming Maerl in the
OSPAR Maritime Area. PLoS ONE 9(8): e104073. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0104073

Sterry P. & Mooney D. (2004) Complete Irish Wildlife. Collins Publisher. ISBN 0007176295

https://www.epa.ie/

https://www.marine.ie/

https://www.marinespecies.org/ (World Register Of Marine Species, Worms)

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/

–Parts of this list have been made by personal communications and local species knowledge-.