The Habitat Dependency Index: A new tool for quantifying species-habitat relationships

• Quantifying the habitat dependency of species. • HDI scores dependency using feeding, shelter, and reproduction needs. • Applicable to various marine habitats and taxonomic groups. • Aids conservation, ecosystem management, and economic valuation. • We used the world kelp forests as a case study to demonstrate the HDI method. Habitat loss is a key threat to ecosystems and species that rely on them, with direct consequences for human well-being. Quantifying the degree to which species depend on specific habitats is critical for many fields of knowledge, such as conservation biology or economic valuations, yet poses a complex challenge. We introduce a new method to objectively quantify how much species depend on a habitat by integrating their life-cycle habitat associations. Through a comprehensive literature review focusing on 36 species associated with kelp forests, we demonstrate how this ‘Habitat Dependency Index’ (HDI) effectively discriminates between closely related species and captures differences in their reliance on kelp forests. We suggest this new HDI constitutes a powerful tool for understanding the role of marine habitats in supporting fisheries, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services. Moreover, the approach is broadly applicable and can provide essential information for managing both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

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Publication Details

Journal
Ecological Indicators
Published
2025-05-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113612
Primary Topic
Species Distribution and Climate Change
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The Habitat Dependency Index: A new tool for quantifying species-habitat relationships

Laura Rogers‐Bennett, Mads S. Thomsen, Rodolfo Barreiro, Karen Filbee‐Dexter et al.
Ecological Indicators
Species Distribution and Climate Change
article

The Habitat Dependency Index: A new tool for quantifying species-habitat relationships

Laura Rogers‐Bennett, Mads S. Thomsen, Rodolfo Barreiro, Karen Filbee‐Dexter, Aaron M. Eger, Thomas Wernberg, Samuel Starko, Camille Lavoie, João N. Franco, Cristina Piñeiro‐Corbeira, Scott Bennett, Johanna S. Zimmerhackel, Michael D. Burton, Kjell Magnus Norderhaug
article en

Abstract

• Quantifying the habitat dependency of species. • HDI scores dependency using feeding, shelter, and reproduction needs. • Applicable to various marine habitats and taxonomic groups. • Aids conservation, ecosystem management, and economic valuation. • We used the world kelp forests as a case study to demonstrate the HDI method. Habitat loss is a key threat to ecosystems and species that rely on them, with direct consequences for human well-being. Quantifying the degree to which species depend on specific habitats is critical for many fields of knowledge, such as conservation biology or economic valuations, yet poses a complex challenge. We introduce a new method to objectively quantify how much species depend on a habitat by integrating their life-cycle habitat associations. Through a comprehensive literature review focusing on 36 species associated with kelp forests, we demonstrate how this ‘Habitat Dependency Index’ (HDI) effectively discriminates between closely related species and captures differences in their reliance on kelp forests. We suggest this new HDI constitutes a powerful tool for understanding the role of marine habitats in supporting fisheries, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services. Moreover, the approach is broadly applicable and can provide essential information for managing both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Ecological IndicatorsVol. 175
Roskilde University (DK), Universidade da Coruña (ES), University of Tasmania (AU), Australian Antarctic Division (AU), Instituto Politécnico de Leiria (PT), The University of Western Australia (AU), University of Canterbury (NZ), Aarhus University (DK), Cerebral Palsy Alliance (AU), Bay Institute (US), Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (NO), UNSW Sydney (AU), ArcticNet (CA), Université Laval (CA)
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 94%
Species Distribution and Climate Change
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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