This study investigated the effects of microhabitat characteristics on soil seed bank structure, regeneration strategies, and plant composition in a Mediterranean coastal sand dune in Israel. Three different microhabitats were selected: (a) open patches between shrubs, (b) shrub understorey, and (c) open, disturbed patches in pedestrian trails. In each microhabitat two types of sampling plots w...

Individuals within a population may vary considerably in the way they exploit available food resources. If the sexes differ in the size of their feeding apparatus, there can be differences in foraging behaviour and habitat use, hence one sex may be more susceptible to competition. We examined relationships between sexual dimorphism in bill size and foraging behaviour, and habitat and microhabit...

Spatial heterogeneity of abiotic factors influences patterns of seedling establishment at different scales. In stress-prone ecosystems such as Mediterranean ones, heterogeneity generated by shrubs has been shown to facilitate the establishment of tree species. However, how this facilitation is affected by spatial scale remains poorly understood. We have experimentally analysed the consequences ...

Habitat selection decisions by consumers has the potential to shape ecosystems. Understanding the factors that influence habitat selection is therefore critical to understanding ecosystem function. This is especially true of mesoconsumers because they provide the link between upper and lower tropic levels. We examined the factors influencing microhabitat selection of marine mesoconsumers - juve...

Cryptobenthic fishes have a significant influence on coral reef ecosystem dynamics; however, they have received considerably less attention than their larger, more conspicuous fish counterparts. In nearby seagrass zones, there is little or no information about cryptobenthic fishes, even for basic parameters such as density and distribution, although smaller organisms may have a substantial effe...

Parasite-mediated competition can shape community structure and host distribution. If two species compete for resources, parasites may indirectly change the outcome of competition. We tested the role of a trematode parasite in mediating microhabitat use by congeneric isopods Austridotea annectens and Austridotea lacustris Although both isopods share resources, they rarely co-occur in the same d...

Bromeliad phytotelmata are frequently used by several Neotropical amphibian taxa, possibly due to their high humidity, microclimatic stability, and role as a refuge from predators. Indeed, the ability of phytotelmata to buffer against adverse environmental conditions may be instrumental in allowing some amphibian species to survive during periods of environmental change or to colonize sub-optim...

This study was conducted to simultaneously investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of diatom communities inhabiting two microhabitat types (Sphagnum periphyton and epipelon) in a peatland area of the Czech Republic. The changes in diatom community structure and corresponding diversity indices at both large (i.e., variation between sites) and small (i.e., variation between two microhabitat...

Understanding the physiological abilities of organisms to cope with heat stress is critical for predictions of species' distributions in response to climate change. We investigated physiological responses (respiration and heart beat rate) of the ectotherm limpet Patella vulgata to heat stress events during emersion and the role of seasonal and microclimatic acclimatization for individual therma...