<?xml version="1.0"?>
<oai_dc:dc xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:title xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Monitoring Tide-Swept Sponge Communities in the Menai Strait, Anglesey and Warrior, Pembrokeshire</dc:title>
  <dc:type xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">dataset</dc:type>
  <dc:identifier xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=007_NRW_DS111134</dc:identifier>
  <dc:description xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Sponges are an important component of benthic communities in temperate waters and can become dominant in suitable conditions. Monitoring takes place at 2 sites within the Menai Strait; Coleg Normal and Nelson's Column and at one site in the Milford Haven (Warrior), Pembrokeshire. Sponge communities in the Menai Strait are dominated by large, relatively fast-growing species, such as Halichondria panicea, Esperiopsis fucorum and Haliclona oculata which thrive in rapid flowing turbid waters. The purpose of this data capture was to record the abundance and 'luxuiousness' of the sponge communities to in order to give an indication of the favourable conservation status of benthic communities within the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC's).</dc:description>
  <dc:date xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">20101231</dc:date>
</oai_dc:dc>