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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on March 24, 2009
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2009 66(4):691-698; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsp058
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© 2009 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

The comparative effects of habitat complexity on faunal assemblages of northern temperate artificial and natural reefs

W. R. Hunter and M. D. J. Sayer

UK NERC Facility for Scientific Diving, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK

Correspondence to W. R. Hunter: Present address: University of Aberdeen, Oceanlab Newburgh, Aberdeenshire AB41 6AA, UK. tel: +44 1224 274447; fax: +44 1224 274002; e-mail: r01wh8{at}abdn.ac.uk.

Hunter, W. R., and Sayer, M. D. J. 2009. The comparative effects of habitat complexity on faunal assemblages of northern temperate artificial and natural reefs. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 691–698.

Several north temperate marine species were recorded on subtidal hard-substratum reef sites selected to produce a gradient of structural complexity. The study employed an established scuba-based census method, the belt transect. The three types of reef examined, with a measured gradient of increasing structural complexity, were natural rocky reef, artificial reef constructed of solid concrete blocks, and artificial reef made of concrete blocks with voids. Surveys were undertaken monthly over a calendar year using randomly placed fixed rope transects. For a number of conspicuous species of fish and invertebrates, significant differences were found between the levels of habitat complexity and abundance. Overall abundance for many of the species examined was 2–3 times higher on the complex artificial habitats than on simple artificial or natural reef habitats. The enhanced habitat availability produced by the increased structural complexity delivered through specifically designed artificial reefs may have the potential to augment faunal abundance while promoting species diversity.

Keywords: abundance, activity indices, artificial reef, faunal assemblages, habitat complexity, scuba, visual census

Received 4 October 2008; accepted 6 February 2009; advance access publication 24 March 2009.


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