Unvegetated river gravel banks

Unvegetated deposit beds of streams formed of pebbles, gravels, boulders or a mixture of gravels and finer sediments, occupying the edges of the stream, forming islands in the channel or supporting the arms and rivulets constituting the stream, together with their associated animal communities. Corresponding habitats with pioneer or ephemeral vascular vegetation are included in unit C3.55 and their succession leads to willow woodland (G1.11).