Structural complexity and component type increase intertidal biodiversity independently of area

• Published in: Ecology (Durham) Vol. 97; no. 2; pp. 383 - 393
• Main Authors: Loke, Lynette H. L., Todd, Peter A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 01-02-2016; Ecological Society of America
• Subjects: Animals; artificial substrates; Biodiversity; Geological Phenomena; habitat complexity; heterogeneity; Islands; Marine; niche breadth; Oceans and Seas; reconciliation ecology resource partitioning; seawalls; Seaweed; Singapore; species–area relationship; Substrates; Tidal Waves; topography; Singapore; ISEW, Singapore
• ISSN: 0012-9658; 1939-9170
• DOI: 10.1890/15-0257.1

Complexity is well accepted as one of the primary drivers of biodiversity, however, empirical support for such positive associations is often confounded with surface area and undermined by other potential explanatory factors, especially the type of structural component (e.g., pits, crevices, overhangs, etc.). In the present study, sample units (artificial substrates) of equal surface area (±0.2%) were used to simultaneously examine the independent effects of complexity and different structural component types on species richness (S), abundance (N), and community composition. We created simple and complex concrete substrates of four different geometric designs using novel software. The substrates (n = 8) were mounted onto granite seawalls (at two tidal heights) on two islands south of Singapore Island. After 13 months of colonization, all 384 tiles were collected and their assemblages compared. A total of 53 744 individuals of 70 species/morphospecies were collected and identified. Our results show that greater complexity can support greater species richness and different communities that are independent of surface area. Furthermore, the type of structure (e.g., "pits," "grooves," "towers") can have an effect on richness and community composition that is independent of complexity.