Table 1 Studies showing examples of increasing habitat complexity generated by different ecosystem engineers and the response of the associated communities
Engineered habitats compared | System examined | SP | De | Di | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
More complex | Less complex | |||||
Seagrasses (Halophila ovalis and Zostera capricorni) | Alga (Caulerpa taxifolia) | Soft-sediment intertidal macrofauna | + | 0 | Na | McKinnon et al. 2009 |
Fucus vesiculosus | Barnacle | Rocky shore macrofauna | + | − | Na | Thompson et al. 1996 |
Rough and bushy artificial kelp | Smooth artificial kelp | Subtidal macrofauna | + | + | Na | Christie et al. 2007 |
Filamentous artificial alga | Foliose artificial alga | Subtidal macrofauna | + | + | Na | Edgar and Klumpp 2003 |
Macrophyte (Najas microcarpa, Utricularia foliosa, Egeria najas, Cabomba frucata and Eichhornia azurea) | Macrophyte (Nymphaea amazonum) | Floodplain lagoon macrofauna | + | + | Na | Thomaz et al. 2008 |
Algae (Cystoseira barbatula, Cystoseira spinosa, Sargassum vulgare, Halopteris scoparia) | Algae (Dictyota fasciola and Dictyota dichotoma) | Subtidal molluscan assemblages | + | + | + | Chemello and Milazzo 2002 |
Algae (Ceramium nodulosum and Cladophora rupestris) | Algae (Corallina officinalis and Chondrus crispus) | Rocky pool ostracod assemblages | + | + | + | Hull 1997 |
Bryozoan (Watersipora subtorquata) | Sea squirt (Ascidia ceratodes) and mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) | Subtidal mobile epifauna | + | 0 | + | Sellheim et al. 2010 |
Halophyte (Phragmites australis) | Halophyte (Spartina alterniflora) | Brackish marsh macrofauna | + | + | Na | Angradi et al. 2001 |
Alga (Codium fragile spp. tomentosoides) | Algae (Laminaria longicruris and Laminaria digitata) | Rocky subtidal epifaunal assemblages | + | 0 | + | Schmidt and Scheibling 2006 |
Monolayer of mussel (Perumytilus purpuratus) | Multilayer of mussel (P. purpuratus) | Rocky shore macrofauna | 0 | 0 | Na | Prado and Castilla 2006 |
Bryozoan (W. subtorquata) | Sea squirt (A. ceratodes) and mussel (M. galloprovincialis) | Subtidal sessile epifauna | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sellheim et al. 2010 |
Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) | Mussel (Mytilus edulis) | Soft-sediment intertidal macrofauna | 0 | − | Na | Kochmann et al. 2008 |
Macrophyte (Thalassia testudinum) | Macrophyte (Halodule wrightii) | Subtidal macrobenthic crustacean | 0 | 0 | Na | Lewis 1984 |
Alga (Macrocystis pyrifera) | Alga (Undaria pinnatifida) | Subtidal macrofauna | + | + | + | Raffo et al. 2009 |
Hybrid halophyte (S. alterniflora x Spartina foliosa) | Halophyte (S. foliosa) | Marsh macrofauna | 0 | − | 0 | Brusati and Grosholz 2006 |
Mussel (M. galloprovincialis) | Alga (Corallina) | Seawall invertebrates and algae | 0 | − | Na | Chapman et al. 2005 |
Mussel (P. purpuratus) | Algae (C. officinalis var. chilenis, Gelidium chilense and Gastroclonium cylindricum) | Rocky shore molluscan assemblages | 0 | 0 | Na | Kelaher et al. 2007 |
Halophyte (Spartina anglica) | Seagrass (Zostera noltii) | Marsh macrofauna | 0 | + | − | Bouma et al. 2009 |
Halophyte (S. anglica) | Seagrass (Z. noltii) | Coastal lagoon macrofauna | 0 | 0 | Na | Cottet et al. 2007 |
More dense C. officinalis turf | Less dense C. officinalis turf | Rocky shore gastropod assemblages | − | − | Na | Kelaher 2003 |
Algae (Cladophora rupestris and Laminaria digitata) | Alga (Fucus serratus) | Rocky shore macrofauna | Na | + | + | Hooper and Davenport 2006 |
Alga (Sargassum globulariaefolium) | Alga (Hormosira banksii) | Rocky shore amphipods assemblages | Na | 0 | Na | Schreider et al. 2003 |
Tubeworm (Ficopomatus enigmaticus) | Oyster (Ostrea conchaphila) | Soft-sediment intertidal macrofauna | Na | + | Na | Heiman et al. 2008 |