Refuge (ecology)

A refuge is a concept in ecology, in which an organism obtains protection from predation by hiding in an area where it is inaccessible or cannot easily be found.

[7][8][9][10] On the other hand, in the sunlight-illuminated open ocean just offshore, there are no places to hide from predation, and both diversity and quantities of organisms per unit area is much lower.

[11] Additionally, coral reefs enhance non-local diversity by providing spawning grounds and a refuge habitat for juvenile fishes that will live in the open ocean as adults.

The islands lack the mammalian predators found on the mainland, such as cats, dogs, and rats, all of which typically decimate seabird colonies.

[22] Many prey animals systematically migrate between refuges and predator-rich feeding grounds, in patterns that minimize their chances of being caught by the predators.

[23] This allows them to avoid the large predatory fish of the open ocean, as these predators are primarily visual hunters and need light to effectively catch prey.

[28] Human societies show a similar effect, with remote mountainous regions such as Zomia or the Scottish Highlands serving as refugia, allowing their inhabitants to maintain cultural traditions and languages that were being pushed to extinction in more accessible locations.

There the starfish cannot reach them when the tide is out, nor can whelks drill through their shells because they remain submerged for insufficient time during each tidal cycle.