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Habitat structure and predator—prey interactions in vegetated aquatic systems

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Habitat Structure

Part of the book series: Population and Community Biology Series ((PCBS,volume 8))

Abstract

Many common features of aquatic habitats provide complexity in an otherwise unstructured water column. Abiotic elements include consolidated and unconsolidated sediments as well as many types of rock, whereas biotic elements include woody debris, coral and oyster reef formations and emergent and submersed vegetation. Special attention has been focused on submersed vegetation and its role in the functioning of aquatic systems, because of its very frequent occurrence in both freshwater (ponds and streams) and coastal marine ecosystems (estuaries and lagoons) and, more importantly, because animal abundances in vegetated habitats are frequently several orders of magnitude greater than in nearby unvegetated areas (cf. Rosine, 1955; Gerking, 1957; Harrod, 1964 for freshwater sites; Tabb et al., 1962, Thayer et al., 1975; Livingston, 1975 for marine sites). In fact, over 70 years ago Victor Shelford (1918) recognized the importance of plant surface as a factor governing the species composition of the freshwater fauna (cited in Rosine, 1955). At about the same time, Peterson (1918) described the richness of the fauna associated with European seagrass meadows.

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Authors
  1. K. L. Heck Jr.
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  2. L. B. Crowder
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Susan S. Bell , Earl D. McCoy  & Henry R. Mushinsky ,  & 

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Heck, K.L., Crowder, L.B. (1991). Habitat structure and predator—prey interactions in vegetated aquatic systems. In: Bell, S.S., McCoy, E.D., Mushinsky, H.R. (eds) Habitat Structure. Population and Community Biology Series, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3076-9_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3076-9_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5363-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-3076-9

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