Habitat structure and spatial heterogeneity in forested habitats
are also important environmental determinants of the distribution
of animal species. In the particular case of predators and their prey,
habitat complexity may affect the way in which they interact,
determining the structure of ecological communities (August,1983;
Holt, 1984; Murdoch and Oaten, 1975). For specialized predators,
for example, habitat complexity can influence the spatial distribution
of the preferred prey; this may, in turn, determine a numerical
response of predators (Solomon, 1949) through changes in their
densities. By contrast, predators feeding on a wide spectrum of prey
species can cope with changes in prey abundance by shifting the
diet to prey upon alternative species (i.e. functional response; sensu
Solomon, 1949).