Site Code
Country: United Kingdom
Central coordinates: 50.33333333o [50o 19' 59" North], -4.13333333o [4o 7' 59" West]
Administrative region: South West (East Cornwall, South Devon)
Area: 873 ha
Altitude: 0 - 20
Site Description
Plymouth Sound and Estuaries has been designated as an IPA because of its habitats and marine algae. It is composed of many habitats varying from sandbanks, estuaries, large shallow inlets and bays, reefs and atlantic salt meadows. The IPA is also renowned for its marine algae, such as red algae communities that are nationally uncommon, in particular the red algae Gracilaria multipartite
Botanical Significance
Noted for marine algae and habitat interest. Penlee Point is at the western mouth of the Sound. The coastline is subject to strong wave action and the rocky shores hold typical open coast communities. Very steep bedrock shows unusual juxtaposition of habitats. These include exposed limpet and barnacle dominated open faces, deep sheltered gullies with luxuriant red seaweed communities, and sheltered rock-pools, some very deep with kelps, others shallow and dominated by coralline seaweeds. Some of the
seaweeds, e.g. Mesophyllum lichenoides are south western or western in distribution. Hooe Lake Point differs in character and geology from other rocky shores included in this zone of the Sound and that it comprises broken bedrock steeply sloped seaward, backed by boulders and shingle. Numerous midshore shallow rock-pools sheltered by the steep bedrock on the seaward side are notable. These are coralline encrusted with abundant seaweed Furcellaria lumbricalis and the south western Bifurcaria bifurcata along with the japweed Sargassum muticum. The more exposed part of the shore exhibits well developed zonation from barnacle dominated zone with a large quantity of the lichen Lichena pygmaea, to a red seaweed dominated zone on flatter bedrock grading into kelps in the sublittoral.
Management guidance notes
Noted for marine algae and habitat interest
Notes
None