Skip to main content
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Estuaries pp 347–349Cite as

Habitat Complexity

  • 228 Accesses

Part of the Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series book series (EESS)

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, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_234
  • Chapter length: 3 pages
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
eBook
USD   549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-94-017-8801-4
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Hardcover Book
USD   549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Learn about institutional subscriptions

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.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • 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.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • 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.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Kovalenko, K. E., Thomaz, S. M., and Warfe, D. M., 2012. Habitat complexity: approaches and future directions. Hydrobiologia, 685, 1–17.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Krebs, C., 1994. Ecology. The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance, 4th edn. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • 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.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • 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.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Batalla 5 de mayo s/n esquina Fuerte de Loreto, Colonia Ejército de Oriente, Delegación Iztapalapa, DF, México

    Selene Ortiz-Burgos

Authors
  1. Selene Ortiz-Burgos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Selene Ortiz-Burgos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

    Michael J. Kennish

Rights and permissions

Reprints 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