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Meager JJ, Schlacher TA, Green M
Topographic complexity and landscape temperature patterns create a dynamic habitat structure on a rocky intertidal shore
Habitat structure is a key determinant of biological assemblages, but is often difficult to quantify and may have more dimensions than are conventionally measured. Meager and co-workers measured the three-dimensional topography (a static property) and temperature landscape (a dynamic property) of invertebrate habitats on an Australian rocky shore. Both static and dynamic traits of the habitat were important: the abundance of most invertebrate species was associated with temperature, while fractal surface dimension was the best predictor of body size. Their results advance our theoretical understanding of the link between habitat structure and biota, and have practical implications towards using habitat structure as a surrogate for biodiversity and conservation planning.
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