Bryophytes in a changing landscape: The hierarchical effects of habitat fragmentation on ecological and evolutionary processes

Testing the myriad predictions associated with the community, demographic and genetic impacts of habitat fragmentation remains a high conservation priority. Many bryophyte taxa are ideal model systems for experimentally testing such metapopulation-based and population genetic predictions due to their relatively fast colonisation-extinction rates, high substrate specificity, dominant haploid condition, and diminutive size. Herein, we review the community, demographic and population genetic impacts of habitat fragmentation on bryophytes, highlight the present knowledge gaps, and offer ideas on how experimental studies utilizing bryophytes may be used to address the broader conservation implications associated with fragmented ecosystems. Previous research suggests that dispersal limitation best explains observed patterns of abundance and distribution of bryophytes in some fragmented habitats. However, edge effects influence bryophyte community structure of border habitats especially where abrupt differences in micro-climatic conditions between the matrix and the forest remnant exist, or where the species pool contains members with inherently restricted ecological amplitudes. Existing studies do not agree on the relationship between basic attributes of bryophyte community structure (i.e., species richness and local density), and habitat area and degree of spatial-isolation. Demographic studies are a critical step in structuring conservation strategies, however surprisingly little empirical information exists as to the impacts of habitat fragmentation on plant population dynamics. We propose that bryophytes offer great potential for testing predictions with respect to plant population persistence in spatially-structured landscapes.     

Independent effects of woodland loss and fragmentation on Brown Treecreeper distribution

We examined the influence of local habitat and the surrounding landscape on the distribution of Brown Treecreepers in a matrix of woodlands and pastures. Our goals were to: (1) determine the importance and scale of the independent effects of woodland cover and fragmentation on treecreeper distribution, and (2) employ landscape variables to improve models of treecreeper distribution based on local habitat features. Woodland fragmentation was important at a large scale while both woodland cover and fragmentation were important at a smaller scale. Excluding unoccupied sites in highly fragmented landscapes improved the ability of local habitat features to explain Brown Treecreeper distribution, which appeared to be constrained by cavity density. Brown Treecreepers' response to fragmentation at the larger scale may occur because fragmentation disrupts dispersal. Alternatively, their response may be an example of a general phenomenon of fragmentation effects only arising when < 20% of woodland cover remains at a given scale. As fragmentation increases, so does the need to incorporate landscape patterns into wildlife-habitat models.     

The responses of understorey birds to forest fragmentation, logging and wildfires: An Amazonian synthesis

We combine mist-net data from 24 disturbance treatments taken from seven studies on the responses of understorey Amazonian birds to selective logging, single and recurrent wildfires, and habitat fragmentation. The different disturbance treatments had distinct effects on avian guild structure, and fire disturbance and the isolation of forest patches resulted in bird communities that were most divergent from those in continuous, undisturbed forest in terms of their species composition. Although low-intensity logging treatments had the least noticeable effects, the composition of understorey birds was still markedly different from the composition in undisturbed forest. This analysis demonstrates the importance of preventing habitat fragmentation and the spread of fires in humid tropical forests, and highlights the need for more research to determine the long-term suitability of large areas of degraded forest for forest birds.     

Forest fragmentation and edge effects from deforestation and selective logging in the Brazilian Amazon

Forest fragmentation results from deforestation and disturbance, with subsequent edge effects extending deep into remaining forest areas. No study has quantified the effects of both deforestation and selective logging, separately and combined, on forest fragmentation and edge effects over large regions. The main objectives of this study were to: (1) quantify the rates and extent of forest fragmentation from deforestation and logging within the Brazilian Amazon, and (2) contextualize the spatio-temporal dynamics of this forest fragmentation through a literature review of potential ecological repercussions of edge creation. Using GIS and remote sensing, we quantified forest fragmentation - defined as both increases in the forest edge-to-area ratio and number of forest fragments - and edge-effected forest occurring from these activities across more than 1.1 million km² of the Brazilian Amazon from 1999 to 2002. Annually, deforestation and logging generated ∼32,000 and 38,000 km of new forest edge while increasing the edge-to-area ratio of remaining forest by 0.14 and 0.15, respectively. Combined deforestation and logging increased the edge-to-area ratio of remaining forest by 65% over our study period, while generating 5539 and 3383 new forest fragments, respectively. Although we found that 90% of individual forest fragments were smaller than 4 km², we also found that 50% of the remaining intact forests were located in contiguous forest areas greater than 35,000 km². We then conducted a literature review documenting 146 edge effects and found that these penetrated to a median distance of 100 m, a distance encompassing 6.4% of all remaining forests in our study region in the year 2002, while 53% of forests were located within two km of an edge. Annually deforestation and logging increased the proportion of edge-forest by 0.8% and 3.1%, respectively. As a result of both activities, the total proportion of edge-forest increased by 2.6% per year, while the proportion within 100-m increased by 0.5%. Over our study period, deforestation resulted in an additional ∼3000 km² of edge-forest, whereas logging generated ∼20,000 km², as it extended deep into intact forest areas. These results show the large extent and rapid expansion of previously unquantified soft-edges throughout the Amazon and highlight the need for greater research into their ecological impacts.     

Bird conservation in fragmented Mediterranean forests of Spain: effects of geographical location, habitat and landscape degradation

The effects of habitat fragmentation on forest bird assemblages were analysed in 214 holm oak (Quercus ilex) remnants spread across the northern and southern plateaux of central Spain. Bird richness was highly dependent on fragment area for all species regardless of isolation, and barely affected by habitat traits. Geographical location was associated with high differences in richness of bird assemblages, which included 17 species exclusive to northern remnants and one exclusive to southern remnants. This supports the hypothesis that habitat suitability deteriorates sharply from north to south for forest birds in Spain. The species-area relationships of bird assemblages sampled in fragmented forests along a broad continental gradient (from Norway to southern Spain) showed that true forest birds only nest in woodlands >100 ha in southern Spain, whereas the full complement of forest species occurs in much smaller fragments in central-western Europe. Loss of species that are particularly sensitive to habitat fragmentation accounts for these differences between dry Spanish and mesic European woodlands. These results are explained by the low habitat suitability of Spanish woodlands, associated with the restrictive conditions for plant regeneration in the Mediterranean climate and long-standing human usage. There is, therefore, a particular need to develop management strategies that conserve birds, and probably other forest organisms, in Mediterranean regions by preventing habitat deterioration and decreases in fragment size, and by conserving all woods >100 ha.     

Distance to edges, edge contrast and landscape fragmentation: Interactions affecting farmland birds around forest plantations

Afforestation often causes direct habitat losses for farmland birds of conservation concern, but it is uncertain whether negative effects also extend significantly into adjacent open land. Information is thus required on how these species react to wooded edges, and how their responses are affected by edge and landscape characteristics. These issues were examined in Mediterranean arable farmland, using bird counts at 0, 100, 200, 300 and >300 m from oak, pine and eucalyptus edges, embedded in landscapes with variable amounts and spatial configurations of forest plantations. Bird diversity declined away from edges, including that of woodland, farmland and ground-nesting birds. Positive edge responses were also found for overall and woodland bird abundances, and for five of the nine most widespread and abundant species (Galerida larks, stonechat, linnet, goldfinch and corn bunting). Strong negative edge effects were only recorded for steppe birds, with reduced abundances near edges of calandra larks and short-toed larks, but not of little bustards and tawny pipits. Edge contrast affected the magnitude of edge effects, with a tendency for stronger responses to old and tall eucalyptus plantations (hard edges) than to young and short oak plantations (soft edges). There were also species-specific interactions between edge and fragmentation effects, with positive edge responses tending to be strongest in less fragmented landscapes, whereas steppe birds tended to increase faster away from edges and to reach the highest species richness and abundances in large arable patches. Results suggest that forest plantations may increase overall bird diversity and abundance in adjacent farmland, at the expenses of steppe birds of conservation concern. Clustering forest plantations in a few large patches and thus reducing the density of wooded edges at the landscape-scale might reduce such negative impacts.     

Conservation of beetles in boreal pine forests: the effects of forest age and naturalness on species assemblages

The effort of boreal forest conservation has emphasised the preservation of old-growth forests while the role of young successional stages in maintaining biodiversity has remained largely unstudied. We compared the richness of beetle species and composition of species assemblages between managed and seminatural forests in five stages of forest succession. The sites were in boreal sub-xeric pine-dominated forests in eastern Finland. Seminatural study sites, especially the recently burned sites, were important habitats for threatened and near-threatened species. We propose that young stages of natural succession should be included in the network of protected forest areas. On the other hand, the composition of saproxylic species assemblages in seminatural forests differed from the assemblages in managed forests, indicating also the need to improve the forest management guidelines so that they better address the requirements of species protection. Regeneration methods applied should resemble or mimic the natural disturbances more closely.     

Three decades of deforestation in southwest Sumatra: Have protected areas halted forest loss and logging, and promoted re-growth?

Much of the forest cover in southern Sumatra, Indonesia has been cleared since the early 1970s, but accurate estimates of the scales and rates of loss are lacking. This study combined high-quality remote sensing applications and extensive field surveys, both to provide an accurate picture of deforestation patterns across an area of 1.17 million ha in southwest Sumatra and to assess whether southwest Sumatra’s Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP) has halted forest loss and logging, and promoted re-growth, since its creation in 1984. Of the single large (692,850 ha) contiguous area of forest standing across our study area in 1972, nearly half (344,409 ha) has been cleared from 1972 to 2002, at an average rate per original forest cover of 1.69% y⁻¹. In Gunung Raya Wildlife Sanctuary (GRWS) and Hydrological Reserves (HR), forests have shrunk by 28,696 ha and 113,105 ha, at an average rate of 2.74% y⁻¹ and 2.13% y⁻¹, respectively. In contrast, forests in BBSNP have reduced four times more slowly than those in GRWS and HR, and have shrunk by 57,344 ha, at an average rate of 0.64% y⁻¹. Nevertheless, the forests within BBSNP were cleared almost as rapidly during the post-establishment, as during the pre-establishment, period (0.65% y⁻¹ and 0.63% y⁻¹, respectively) despite the introduction of protection measures during the post-establishment period, following the government’s pledge to expand and protect Indonesia’s network of Protected Areas (PAs) at the 1982 Bali World Parks Congress. While these protection measures failed to slow down rates of forest loss caused by agricultural encroachments they reduced large-scale mechanised logging by a factor of 4.2 and stabilized some 8610 ha of agricultural encroachments, enabling forest re-growth.     

Isolation and edge effects among woodland key habitats in Sweden: Is forest policy promoting fragmentation?

Fragmentation of natural forests is a major threat to forest biodiversity. In areas with a long history of forestry, the remaining patches of old forests constitute only a minor part of the landscape. In such situations small stands may be valuable and important for conservation. However, as they may suffer from strong edge effects and isolation, their value may be lower than anticipated. In Sweden a national inventory of woodland key habitats (WKHs) has identified about 1% of the forest landscape as sites where red-listed species occur or may occur. Most are small (national median 1.4 ha) and isolated stands within an intensively managed landscape. The present analyses calculate WKH core area based on a range of depths of edge influence, and isolation based on both distance to nearest WKH and a weighted isolation measure that includes all neighboring WKHs and protected forest. These analyses are done on the WKHs in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden and include almost 5000 stands. The actual core area in the WKHs is about 30% given a 50 m edge influence. The degree of isolation is species dependent but the results indicate that only species with high dispersal abilities may effectively utilize the network of WKHs. For species with effective dispersal distances of less than 2 km the network is probably insufficient. The results emphasize the need to create buffer zones, to increase reserve areas and to manage the matrix so that species dispersal is promoted. This likely includes a necessity to aggregate biodiversity efforts on the landscape scale.     

Bird species abundance–occupancy patterns and sensitivity to forest fragmentation: Implications for conservation in the Brazilian Atlantic forest

Developing a predictive theory for species responses to habitat fragmentation is a large, complex challenge in conservation biology, and meeting this challenge likely requires tailoring predictions to specific habitats and taxa. We evaluate the effects of fragmentation on forest birds living in three distinct forest ecosystems found in Brazilian Atlantic forest: seasonal semi-deciduous forest (SF), mixed rain forest (MF), and dense rain forest (DF). We test the hypotheses that (1) bird species most prevalent in SF (relative to other habitat types) will be least vulnerable to population declines in fragmented SF, and (2) species with stronger affiliations with DF or MF will be relatively more sensitive to fragmentation in SF. Using an exploratory statistical technique called “Rank Occupancy–Abundance Profiles (ROAPs),” we compared distribution and abundance of birds among large “continuous” areas of each forest type, then compared abundances in continuous SF forests with patterns of abundance in small fragments of SF, where edge effects could play a marked role in population dynamics. Overall, 39 species showed substantially lower local abundance, occupancy, or both in SF fragments versus continuous SF. As predicted, a higher proportion of bird species associated with DF appeared sensitive to fragmentation in SF; by contrast, species most abundant in SF and MF were similarly abundant in fragmented SF. Our study demonstrates how quantifying distribution and abundance in diverse habitats may enhance managers’ ability to incorporate species-specific responses to human disturbances in their conservation plans, and points out ways that even small reserves may have significant conservation value.     

The effects of forest patch size and matrix type on changes in carabid beetle assemblages in an urbanized landscape

In this study we compared ground beetles (Carabidae) from a range of different forest fragments along an urbanization gradient in Brussels, Belgium. We address the following questions: (i) How does the degree of urbanization in the surrounding habitat affect forest beetles, and does it interact with the effects of patch size and distance to forest edge? (ii) Do these factors have a different effect at the level of individual species, habitat affinity groups or total community? During 2002 we sampled 13 forest plots in 10 forest patches, ranging in size from 5.27 to 4383 ha. The beetles were captured using transects of pitfall traps from the edge to a distance of 100 m into each woodland and identified to species level. Effects of urbanization, forest size and forest edge were evaluated on total species number, abundance and habitat affinity groups and ten abundant, widespread model carabid species. Overall, the effects of urbanization, forest size and edge effects slightly influenced total species richness and abundance but appeared to have a major effect on ground beetle assemblages through species specific responses. More urbanized sites had significantly fewer forest specialists and more generalist species. Large forest fragments were favoured by forest specialist species while generalist species and species frequently associated with forest (forest generalists) dominated the smaller forests. Forest edges mainly harboured generalist species while forest specialist species were more frequent into the forests if the forest patches were large enough, otherwise they disappeared due to the destruction or impoverishment of their habitat. Our results show the importance of differentiating between habitat affinity, especially habitat generalists versus specialists, the latter having a higher value in nature conservation, and merely the quantity of species represented in human-dominated areas.     

Thresholds in the long-term responses of breeding birds to forest cover and fragmentation

Mitigating the effects of habitat loss requires estimating the minimum amount of habitat necessary for the persistence of wildlife populations in a changing landscape. Assessing minimum habitat amounts, however, relies on identifying ecological thresholds in species’ responses to landscape change. Using two repeated state-wide atlases, our objective was to investigate the responses of 25 forest birds to a range of forest cover and fragmentation. Repeat atlases allow for the analysis of four population dynamics including: (1) colonization, (2) persistence, (3) extinction, and (4) absence. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that forest birds demonstrated thresholds in these four basic dynamics to varying amounts of forest cover and fragmentation.We found thresholds to be a common, though not pervasive, characteristic of how forest birds respond to forest cover and pattern. We found that the probability of persistence was positively correlated with forest cover and 22 species demonstrated threshold responses. In addition, 15 of 25 birds demonstrated discrete thresholds in extinction dynamics. The existence of a colonization threshold has received significantly less attention in ecology. We also found that 17 out of 25 species demonstrated thresholds in their colonization response to a greater amount of forest cover. The effects of forest fragmentation, independent of forest amount, were less clear. We found support for incorporating the effects of fragmentation, but this fragmentation effect was found both below and above threshold points. We conclude that incorporating ecological thresholds in environmental planning should be species-specific and focus on populations on the verge of rapid ecological change.     

Decreases in soil moisture and organic matter quality suppress microbial decomposition following a boreal forest fire

Climate warming is projected to increase the frequency and severity of wildfires in boreal forests, and increased wildfire activity may alter the large soil carbon (C) stocks in boreal forests. Changes in boreal soil C stocks that result from increased wildfire activity will be regulated in part by the response of microbial decomposition to fire, but post-fire changes in microbial decomposition are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the response of microbial decomposition to a boreal forest fire in interior Alaska and test the mechanisms that control post-fire changes in microbial decomposition. We used a reciprocal transplant between a recently burned boreal forest stand and a late successional boreal forest stand to test how post-fire changes in abiotic conditions, soil organic matter (SOM) composition, and soil microbial communities influence microbial decomposition. We found that SOM decomposing at the burned site lost 30.9% less mass over two years than SOM decomposing at the unburned site, indicating that post-fire changes in abiotic conditions suppress microbial decomposition. Our results suggest that moisture availability is one abiotic factor that constrains microbial decomposition in recently burned forests. In addition, we observed that burned SOM decomposed more slowly than unburned SOM, but the exact nature of SOM changes in the recently burned stand are unclear. Finally, we found no evidence that post-fire changes in soil microbial community composition significantly affect decomposition. Taken together, our study has demonstrated that boreal forest fires can suppress microbial decomposition due to post-fire changes in abiotic factors and the composition of SOM. Models that predict the consequences of increased wildfires for C storage in boreal forests may increase their predictive power by incorporating the observed negative response of microbial decomposition to boreal wildfires.     

Mixed-species bird flocks from Brazilian Atlantic forest: the effects of forest fragmentation and seasonality on their size, richness and stability

The effects of forest fragmentation on species richness, size and stability of bird mixed-species flocks were studied during rainy and dry seasons at nine Atlantic Forest fragments in Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil. Two distinct kinds of mixed-species flocks were identified at the study area: heterogeneous flock and understory flocks. The first type of association was observed in all forest fragments and was composed mainly of canopy and midstory species, but may include a few understory species. Understory flocks were composed mainly of understory species and were detected in only three forest fragments. Forest fragment area and season significantly affected species richness, size and stability of heterogeneous flocks. Moreover, species richness in heterogeneous flocks was correlated with total species pool in forest fragments. Species richness and size of understory flocks were different among the three forest fragments, but season influenced only flock size. Understory flock stability differed neither among forest fragments nor between seasons. The red-crowned ant-tanager Habia rubica was the nuclear and leader species of understory flocks, and determined the occurrence of this association in forest fragments. Our results show that forest fragmentation can affect species’ interactions in foraging associations, and that conservation plans for the region should preserve nuclear species of mixed-species flocks and their preferred habitats.     

Species diversity and habitat fragmentation: frogs in a tropical montane landscape in Mexico

We evaluate the alpha (within patch species richness), beta (spatial turnover among patches) and gamma (landscape) diversity of frogs in a tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF) in central Veracruz, Mexico in order to assess (1) the influence of forest fragmentation on frog assemblages, (2) the importance to diversity of the various elements of the landscape matrix, including the shaded coffee plantations and cattle pastures that surround TMCF and (3) to identify the frog guilds most affected by habitat transformation. We sampled ten sites between May 1998 and November 2000: five TMCF fragments and five anthropogenic habitats. For the entire landscape, we registered 21 species belonging to six families. 100% of these were found in the TMCF fragments and 62% in the surrounding mosaic of anthropogenic habitats. Gamma diversity (γ) is determined to a greater extent by species exchange (β) than by local species richness (α). Elevational variation, the degree of conservation of the vegetation canopy and fragment size appear to determine the species diversity of this landscape. Large species, terrestrial species, those whose eggs develop outside water, and those whose larvae develop in the water seemed to be most affected by habitat transformation. On its own, even the largest and most species-rich cloud forest fragment is not capable of preserving the current anuran diversity. Neither are the shaded coffee plantations that are interspersed among and link the patches of TMCF. However together they form a diverse system of habitats crucial to species conservation in this landscape.     

Bats in a fragmented landscape: Species composition, diversity and habitat interactions in savannas of Santarém, Central Amazonia, Brazil

Species response to forest fragmentation may strongly vary according to ecological requirements, shape, spatial configuration and connectivity of fragments, and the structure of the surrounding matrix. Bats are natural candidates for studies on forest fragmentation. However, the conclusions of such studies are often contradictory. We present the results of a study on the effects of forest fragmentation on bat communities in Alter do Chão, Santarém area, in Central Amazonia, Brazil, an area composed by forests and fragments surrounded by savanna-like vegetation. We compared the species composition between habitats, tested the effect of size, shape and density of trees of forested areas on the presence species and their relative frequency of captures, and investigated the savannas as an ecological barrier for the dispersion of bats. With an effort of 5678 mistnet-hours, we captured 3740 bats (64 species). Multidimensional Scaling indicated no strong separation between the habitats sampled, however, savanna sites were grouped distinctly of fragments and forest sites. Multiple linear regressions indicated no significant correlation between the number of bat species recorded and the size, shape or tree density in forest sites and fragments. There was a significant correlation between the number of captures and the variables tested, explained by the shape of the sites, but not by size or tree density. In general, sites with bigger shape indices had fewer captures. Ten of the 20 most captured species showed no significant difference between the three habitats. The bat communities in Alter do Chão were not strongly affected by forest fragmentation, and the savannas did not appear to act as an ecological barrier to bats.     

基于主观偏好和景观空间指标的农业景观特征偏好模型: 以北京市11个农业景观特征区域为例

本研究以北京市11个农业景观特征区域的真实照片为评价资料,通过对46位环境相关专业大学生进行的平衡非完全区组排序评判测试得到他们对不同景观照片的偏好数值。以250m为边长的正三角形在2006年110000土地利用图上截取出照片所对应的数据,根据这些数据计算了反映该照片景观特征的空间格局指数。利用多元逐步回归,以相对应的空间格局指数以及主观判断得到的绿色覆盖度和管理水平等共11个指标,分别针对不同景观特征区域构建景观偏好模型。研究表明,除各指标在权重上的差异外,有些指标在不同特征区域内,甚至在对景观偏好影响的方向上都有所差异:绿色覆盖度、管理水平、斑块黏合度、斑块聚合程度、分维度指数均体现出对景观可视偏好的正向影响,开阔地比例在可视范围体现了对景观偏好的逆向影响,而斑块数量、蔓延度、最大斑块指数、干扰比例和林地比例在不同景观特征分区内则表现不同的影响趋向。     

Body size, niche breadth, and ecologically scaled responses to habitat fragmentation: mammalian predators in an agricultural landscape

The ability to make a priori assessments of a species' response to fragmentation, based on its distribution in the landscape, would serve as a valuable conservation and management tool. During 1997-1999, we monitored 717 scent stations to examine seasonal use of forest patches, corridors, and crop fields by coyotes (Canis latrans), domestic cats (Felis catus), foxes (Vulpes vulpes and Urocyon cinereoargenteus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), opossums (Didelphis virginiana), and long-tailed weasels (Mustela frenata). For each species we developed landscape-based ecologically scaled landscape indices (ELSI), and we modeled species spatial distribution across three spatial scales (landscape-level, element-level, and local habitat-level). Our results suggest that these predators view landscape fragmentation at different spatial scales and demonstrate strong interspecific differences in their response to elements of the landscape. All species except coyotes and domestic cats avoided agricultural fields. In general, predator species that were more mobile (i.e. high ESLI for landscape connectivity; coyotes) were characterized by landscape- and element-based logistic models. In contrast, models including local habitat features generally were most appropriate for less mobile or more stenophagous predators (e.g. long-tailed weasels). Our analysis extends the application of the ESLI concept to species assemblages that do not appear to function as metapopulations, and it highlights the importance of examining spatial scale and species-specific responses to habitat fragmentation. We discuss the relevance of these findings for defining ecological landscapes, understanding predator-prey interactions at multiple spatial scales, and conserving predator and prey populations in fragmented landscapes.     

中亚热带常绿阔叶林林隙动态与森林景观格局研究——以福建省万木林自然保护区为例

采用景观生态学方法对福建省万木林自然保护区中亚热带常绿阔叶林林隙动态与森林景观格局进行了研究。结果表明,随着林隙的不断发展,林隙冠空隙斑块形状的不规则性增强,林隙冠空隙斑块形状的破碎化程度加深,而林隙冠空隙斑块的分形维数减小。林隙冠空隙的斑块分形维数小于扩展林隙的斑块分形维数。     

Habitat fragmentation in marine landscapes: relative effects of habitat cover and configuration on juvenile crab survival in California and North Carolina seagrass beds

Processes that dictate faunal abundance (e.g. predation) may be linked primarily to the configuration of habitat (e.g. patch size, patch isolation, proximity to edge) or simply to the amount of habitat (i.e. habitat cover) in marine and terrestrial systems. I asked whether juvenile crab survival in marine seagrass habitats is linked to habitat cover or to habitat configuration, and whether relationships between crab survival and habitat features were similar in two widely separated seagrass landscapes (Bodega Harbor, California and Back Sound, North Carolina, USA). I also evaluated the independent effects of seagrass structural complexity (shoot density and shoot biomass per unit area) and habitat fragmentation on crab survival. Juvenile red rock crabs (Cancer productus: 1+year class) were tethered in Bodega Harbor and juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus: 0+year class) were tethered in Back Sound. Seagrass cover in both landscapes ranged from <10 to 100% over 10×10 m areas. Crab survival was correlated with elements of landscape structure and structural complexity in both landscapes, but relationships between crab survival and specific habitat features differed between the two landscapes. In California, juvenile red rock crab survival was negatively correlated with seagrass cover and was positively correlated with seagrass shoot density, and was marginally (P=0.06) negatively correlated with seagrass shoot biomass. In North Carolina, juvenile blue crab survival was positively correlated with log₁₀ patch area and was negatively correlated with seagrass shoot biomass. The results indicate that (1) both seagrass cover and configuration may influence crab survival; (2) seagrass structural complexity influences crab survival independently of landscape structure; (3) the relative influence of cover, configuration and structural complexity on survival likely differ among seagrass landscapes; and (4) increasing structural complexity (e.g. shoot biomass) may not always lead to increased faunal survival. The results correspond to those of recent studies in marine and terrestrial landscapes showing widely variable faunal responses to landscape structure among species, geographic location and through time, and imply that seagrass restoration and conservation strategies should incorporate species-specific responses to habitat structure at multiple scales.