Direct versus indirect effects of wave exposure as a structuring force on temperate cryptobenthic fish assemblages

The structure of cryptic reef fish assemblages was assessed on sheltered and exposed aspects of coastal breakwaters at two locations in the northwestern Adriatic Sea. There were distinct differences between the two levels of exposure, which were consistent between locations. Habitat characteristics, measured on scales of tens of centimetres, explained 50% of the variability in assemblage structure between exposures, whereas ‘exposure’ alone (implying direct effects of wave energy on the fish) explained