Habitat complexity affects the abundance and diversity of organisms in various aquatic assemblages. In this presentation we look into the small-scale effects of habitat complexity on a sessile benthic community in a subtropical intertidal habitat. We focused on the question of whether and how variation in surface micro-topography exerts influences upon the larval recruitment of sessile organisms using semi-artificial substrates on a subtropical stony shore. Different sessile taxa had contrasting patterns of response to variation in habitat complexity, as demonstrated through a GLM-based model-selection exercise. Consideration is given to the mechanics of such taxa-dependent patterns.