Many studies have shown that habitat complexity or habitat diversity plays a major role in biodiversity at various spatial scales. As structural heterogeneity increases, so does the number of (micro) habitats available for potential species inventories. As habitat heterogeneity increases, the ability to accommodate species (including rare ones) increases rapidly. However, measuring the habitat complexity of marine subtidal sediments is not straightforward. In our study, we made a proposal to estimate the habitat complexity of subtidal benthic organisms using standard underwater video techniques. The tool was then used to study the impact of habitat complexity on species richness compared to other environmental parameters in the Fehmarnbelt Marine Protected Area, a narrow strait in the southwestern Baltic Sea our results show that heterogeneous substrate species richness is significantly higher for all sediment types considered. Therefore, the presence of rare species increases as the structure becomes more complex. Our results highlight the importance of microhabitat availability for benthic biodiversity and research areas of local ecosystem function.
KeywordsMacrozoobenthos; Baltic Sea; Species richness; Rare species
Published Date: 2023-07-31; Received Date: 2023-07-01
