Ideal conditions required for growth of any particular organism vary over scales of time and space. This occurs because the success of a habitat and associated organisms are dependent on a variety of factors. By protecting several replicates of similar habitats in the system, along an environmental gradient, the likelihood increases that at least one habitat will be healthy in any particular year. The life cycle of lobsters shows that just one species needs many connected habitats to survive and reproduce.

Habitat patchwork

Ideal conditions required for growth of any particular organism vary over scales of time and space. This occurs because the success of a habitat and associated organisms are dependent on a variety of factors. By protecting several replicates of similar habitats in the system, along an environmental gradient, the likelihood increases that at least one habitat will be healthy in any particular year. The life cycle of lobsters shows that just one species needs many connected habitats to survive and reproduce.

diagram habitat environmental gradient marine managed area MMA lobster life cycle

Author(s)Jane Thomas
Author CompanyIntegration and Application Network
Date Created2010-01-01
AlbumProcesses > Biological
TypeGraphic
Project(s)Conservation International: Science communication products
Dimensions1000 x 472
Filesize177.6 kB
Number of Downloads259
Filetype(s) PNG
LicenseAttribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Required AttributionJane Thomas, Integration and Application Network (ian.umces.edu/media-library)