Synonyms
Architectural complexity; Habitat architecture; Habitat heterogeneity; Substrate heterogeneity; Topographical complexity
Definitions
Krebs (1994) has defined a habitat as any part of the biosphere where a particular species can live, either temporarily or permanently.
Complexity is defined as one aspect of habitat quality that is thought to influence the size, structure, distribution, and stability of populations.
Habitat complexity refers to the level or strength of interaction between a species and its environment.
Introduction
In estuarine ecosystems, habitat complexity is one of the most important factors structuring biotic assemblages. It is frequently an important variable affecting species abundance and diversity. Habitats with high habitat complexity typically support more species and individuals than nearby less complex habitats. Identifying the key aspects and spatial scales of habitat complexity is critical to understanding the ecology and conservation of a range of...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Bell, J. D., and Galzin, R., 1984. Influence of live coral cover on coral reef fish communities. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 15, 265–274.
Frost, N. J., Burrows, M. T., Johnson, M. P., Hanley, M. E., and Hawkins, S. J., 2005. Measuring surface complexity in ecological studies. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 3, 203–210.
Gratwick, B., and Speight, M. R., 2005. The relationship between fish species richness, abundance and habitat complexity in a range of shallow tropical marine habitats. Journal of Fish Biology, 66, 650–667.
Kovalenko, K. E., Thomaz, S. M., and Warfe, D. M., 2012. Habitat complexity: approaches and future directions. Hydrobiologia, 685, 1–17.
Krebs, C., 1994. Ecology. The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance, 4th edn. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers.
Roberts, C. M., and Ormond, R. F. G., 1987. Habitat complexity and coral reef fish diversity and abundance on Red Sea fringing reefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 41, 1–8.
Walker, B. K., Jordan, L. K. B., and Spieler, R. E., 2009. Relationship of reef fish assemblages and topographic complexity on southeastern Florida coral reef habitats. Journal of Coastal Research, 53, 39–48.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Ortiz-Burgos, S. (2016). Habitat Complexity. In: Kennish, M.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Estuaries. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_234
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_234
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-8800-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-8801-4
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences