Accounting for habitat structural complexity improves the assessment of performance in no-take marine reserves

Seascape variability may confound assessments on the effectiveness of no-take marine reserves (NTMRs) in conserving biodiversity. In most cases baseline data are lacking, resulting in evaluations of NTMR effectiveness being Control Impact (CI) assessments. Even with independent replicate areas among management zones, this approach can make it difficult to detect zone effects if seascape attributes, such as habitat structural complexity varies...