Table 1 The SACFOR abundance scales for cover and counts observations (Hiscock, 1990). SACFOR codes are: S Superabundant, A Abundant, C Common, F Frequent, O Occasional, R Rare, and L Less than rare indicated by extrapolation (which is no longer used in the modern SACFOR scale)
From: Converting SACFOR data for statistical analysis: validation, demonstration and further possibilities
| SACFOR cover scale | SACFOR counts scale | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage cover | Growth form | Counts (various spatial unit) | Minimum density at 1000 m2 | Size of individuals or colonies | ||||
| Crust/Meadow | Massive/Turf | < 1 cm | 1–3 cm | 3–15 cm | > 15 cm | |||
| > 80% | S | > 1 / 0.001 m2 (1 × 1 cm) | 10,000,000 | S | ||||
| 40–79% | A | S | 1–9 / 0.001 m2 | 1,000,000 | A | S | ||
| 20–39% | C | A | 1–9 / 0.01 m2 (10 × 10 cm) | 100,000 | C | A | S | |
| 10–19% | F | C | 1–9 / 0.1 m2 | 10,000 | F | C | A | S |
| 5–9% | O | F | 1–9 / m2 | 1000 | O | F | C | A |
| 1–5% | R | O | 1–9 / 10 m2 (3.16 × 3.16 m) | 100 | R | O | F | C |
| < 1% | L | R | 1–9 / 100 m2 (10 × 10 m) | 10 | L | R | O | F |
| L | 1–9 / 1000 m2 (31.6 × 31.6 m) | 1 | L | R | O | |||
| < 1 / 1000 m2 (100 × 100 m) | 0.1 | L | R | |||||
| < 1 / 10,000 m2 (1 km2) | 0.01 | L | ||||||
| Example taxa | Halichondria | Pachymatisma | Spirorbis | Grantia | Chaetopterus | Eunicella | ||
| Corynactis | Alcyonium | Nucula | Nephtys | Arenicola | Funiculina | |||
| Fucoids | Foliose algae | Amphipods | Pomatoceros | Sabella | Pachycerianthus | |||
| Kelp | Zostera | Nephrops | ||||||