Abstract
Habitat structure (HS) corresponds to the presence of physical structures in a system and is one of the most important ecological features that influences patterns and processes of biological communities. In this study, the use of complexity and heterogeneity in marine empirical studies in the context of HS was investigated. Empirical publications that discussed the role of physical structure on marine communities were surveyed and the use of different HS-related terms were analyzed and classified as: (i) complexity; (ii) heterogeneity; (iii) both as synonymous; and (iv) both as non-synonymous. A cluster analysis showed different patterns of use on different habitats. A conceptual clarification, through studies that presented definitions, was performed and a conceptual scheme was built considering two applications: (i) multidimensional or unidimensional measures; and (ii) quantitative, qualitative, or quali-quantitative measures. There was no agreement in the use and application of HS related terms in different marine habitats, and the analyses performed here indicated that (i) complexity corresponds to a multidimensional measurement with parts that interact and (ii) heterogeneity is one dimension of the habitat complexity. The present study provided the starting point for closer communication within different areas of ecology and contributes to future robust generalizations regarding HS.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beck, M. W., 2000. Separating the elements of habitat structure: independent effects of habitat complexity and structural components on rocky intertidal gastropods. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 249: 29–49.
Bohnsack, J. A., 1991. Habitat structure and the design of artificial reefs. In Bell, S. S., E. D. McCoy & H. R. M. Mushinsky (eds), Habitat Structure: The Physical Arrangement of Objects in Space. Chapman and Hall, London: 412–426.
Bourget, E., J. DeGuise & G. Daigle, 1994. Scales of substratum heterogeneity, structural complexity, and the early establishment of a marine epibenthic community. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 181: 31–51.
Buhl-Mortensen, L., A. Vanreusel, A. J. Gooday, L. A. Levin, I. J. Priede, P. Buhl-Mortensen, H. Gheerardyn, N. J. King & M. Raes, 2010. Biological structures as a source of habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity on the deep ocean margins. Marine Ecology 31: 21–50.
Charton, J. A. G. & A. P. Ruzafa, 1999. Ecological heterogeneity and the evaluation of the effects of marine reserves. Fisheries Research 42: 1–20.
Clarke, K. R. & R. M. Warwick, 2001. Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation, 2nd ed. PRIMER-E Plymouth. http://www.primer-e.com/Primary_papers.htm.
Corning, P. A., 2000. “The synergism hypothesis”: on the concept of synergy and its role in the evolution of complex systems. Journal of Social and Evolutionary Systems 21(2): 133–172.
Dunn, D. C. & P. N. Halpin, 2009. Rugosity-based regional modeling of hard-bottom habitat. Marine Ecology Progress Series 377: 1–11.
Feller, I. C. & W. N. Mathis, 1997. Primary herbivory by wood-boring insects a long an architectural gradient of Rhizophora mangle. Biotropica 29: 440–451.
Gee, J. M. & R. M. Warwick, 1994. Metazoan community structure in relation to the fractal dimensions of marine macroalgae. Marine Ecology Progress Series 103: 141–150.
Graham, N. A. J. & K. L. Nash, 2013. The importance of structural complexity in coral reef ecosystems. Coral Reefs 32: 315–326.
Kelaher, B. P., 2003. Changes in habitat complexity negatively affect diverse gastropod assemblages in coralline algal turf. Oecologia 135: 431–441.
Kovalenko, K. E., S. M. Thomaz & D. M. Warfe, 2012. Habitat complexity: approaches and future directions. Hydrobiologia 685: 1–17.
Loehle, C., 2004. Challenges of ecological complexity. Ecological Complexity 1: 3–6.
MacArthur, R. H. & R. Levins, 1964. Competition, habitat selection, and character displacement in a patchy environment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences United States of America 51: 1207–1210.
McCoy, E. D. & S. S. Bell, 1991. Habitat structure: the evolution and diversification of a complex topic. In Bell, S. S., E. D. McCoy & H. R. Mushinsky (eds), Habitat Structure: The Physical Arrangement of Objects in Space. Chapman and Hall, London: 3–27.
Meager, J. J., T. A. Schlacher & M. Gren, 2011. Topographic complexity and landscape temperature patterns create a dynamic habitat structure on a rocky intertidal shore. Marine Ecology Progress Series 428: 1–12.
Nunes, J. A. C. C., C. L. S. Sampaio & F. Barros, 2015. The influence of structural complexity and reef habitat types on flight initiation distance and escape behaviors in labrid fishes. Marine Biology 162: 493–499.
Pickett, S. T. A. & M. L. Cadenasso, 2002. The ecosystem as a multidimensional concept: meaning, model, and metaphor. Ecosystems 5: 1–10.
Pickett, S. T. A., J. Kolasa & C. G. Jones, 2007. Integration in ecology. In Pickett, S. T. A., J. Kolasa & C. G. Jones (eds), Ecological Understanding: The Nature of Theory and The Theory of Nature. Elsevier, New York: 3–32.
Sueiro, M. C., A. Bortolus & E. Schwindt, 2011. Habitat complexity and community composition: relationships between different ecosystem engineers and the associated macroinvertebrate assemblages. Helgoland Marine Research 65: 467–477.
Tews, J., U. Brose, V. Grimm, K. Tielborger, M. C. Wichmann, M. Schwager & F. Jeltsch, 2004. Animal species diversity driven by habitat heterogeneity/diversity: the importance of keystone structures. Journal of Biogeography 31: 79–92.
Tokeshi, M. & S. Arakaki, 2012. Habitat complexity in aquatic systems: fractals and beyond. Hydrobiologia 685: 27–47.
Wiens, J. A., 1976. Population responses to patchy environments. Annual Review Ecological Systems 7: 81–120.
Wiens, J. A., 2000. Ecological heterogeneity: an ontogeny of concepts and approaches. In Hutchings, M. J., E. A. John & A. J. A. Stewart (eds), The Ecological Consequences of Environmental Heterogeneity. Blackwell Science, Oxford: 9–31.
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank A. Reis, É. Garcez, J. A. Nunes, V. Montalvão and L. Souza for help in the revision. B. Pascal, V. Montalvão and L. Poliseli for exchanged ideas with the first author. We also thank to CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) for financial support to LC (MSc Grant N. 134022/2013-0.) and FB (PQ2 239978/2012-9; 306332/2014-0).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Handling editor: Jonne Kotta
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Carvalho, L.R.S., Barros, F. Physical habitat structure in marine ecosystems: the meaning of complexity and heterogeneity. Hydrobiologia 797, 1–9 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3160-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3160-0