Coastlines are drastically altered globally due to urbanisation and climate-related issues. As a response, communities build coastal defence structures to protect people and property. Although these infrastructures fulfil engineering demands of coastal defences, the trade-off to nature includes a decrease in biodiversity able to live on these structures because of the lack of topographic complexity. Several studies have tried to increase the surface complexity on coastal defence structures through eco-engineering habitat enhancements that mimic nature. However, few of these studies have been conducted in tropical regions where effects are more pronounce due to desiccation and extreme heat. In this study, water-retaining structures (in the form of rock-pools at depths 12 cm, and 5 cm) were drill-cored into coastal defence structures (i.e. granite rock revetments) on reclaimed coastlines in Penang Island, Malaysia. We found greater species richness and an increase in community structure in the drill-cored rock pools regardless of the depth of these artificial rock-pools. Positive habitat selection also occurred within micro-habitats of this scale. The drill-cored artificial rock pools in these tidal exposed revetments also provided niche-spaces for marine organisms found in low-tide or sub-tidal areas. These findings demonstrate the potential of this eco-engineered habitat enhancement as a means of promoting biodiversity on granite rock revetments, which can be applied either during design phase of a coastal development or retrospectively.

中文翻译：

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带钻芯的人工岩石池可以促进马来西亚槟城填海海岸线海岸岩石护岸的生物多样性和社区结构

由于城市化和气候相关问题，全球海岸线发生了巨大变化。作为回应，社区建立海防结构以保护人员和财产。尽管这些基础设施满足了海岸防御的工程要求，但由于地形复杂性的缺乏，自然的权衡包括能够在这些结构上生活的生物多样性减少。一些研究试图通过模仿自然的生态工程栖息地增强来增加海岸防御结构的表面复杂性。然而，这些研究很少是在热带地区进行的，这些地区由于干燥和极端高温而影响更为明显。在这项研究中，挡水结构（以 12 厘米和 5 厘米深的岩石池的形式）被钻取到海岸防御结构中（即 花岗岩护岸）在马来西亚槟城岛的填海海岸线上。我们发现，无论这些人工岩石池的深度如何，钻孔岩池中的物种丰富度更高，群落结构也有所增加。在这种规模的微型栖息地中也发生了积极的栖息地选择。这些潮汐裸露护岸中的钻孔人工岩池也为低潮或潮下地区的海洋生物提供了生态位。这些发现证明了这种生态工程栖息地增强作为促进花岗岩护岸生物多样性的一种手段的潜力，可以在沿海开发的设计阶段或回顾性地应用。我们发现，无论这些人工岩石池的深度如何，钻孔岩池中的物种丰富度更高，群落结构也有所增加。在这种规模的微型栖息地中也发生了积极的栖息地选择。这些潮汐裸露护岸中的钻孔人工岩池也为低潮或潮下地区的海洋生物提供了生态位。这些发现证明了这种生态工程栖息地增强作为促进花岗岩护岸生物多样性的一种手段的潜力，可以在沿海开发的设计阶段或回顾性地应用。我们发现，无论这些人工岩石池的深度如何，钻孔岩池中的物种丰富度更高，群落结构也有所增加。在这种规模的微型栖息地中也发生了积极的栖息地选择。这些潮汐裸露护岸中的钻孔人工岩池也为低潮或潮下地区的海洋生物提供了生态位。这些发现证明了这种生态工程栖息地增强作为促进花岗岩护岸生物多样性的一种手段的潜力，可以在沿海开发的设计阶段或回顾性地应用。这些潮汐裸露护岸中的钻孔人工岩池也为低潮或潮下地区的海洋生物提供了生态位。这些发现证明了这种生态工程栖息地增强作为促进花岗岩护岸生物多样性的一种手段的潜力，可以在沿海开发的设计阶段或回顾性地应用。这些潮汐裸露护岸中的钻孔人工岩池也为低潮或潮下地区的海洋生物提供了生态位。这些发现证明了这种生态工程栖息地增强作为促进花岗岩护岸生物多样性的一种手段的潜力，可以在沿海开发的设计阶段或回顾性地应用。