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We review current understanding of dynamic interactions between environmental variables and stream benthic communities within glacierized alpine catchments to provide a context for the central theme of habitat complexity within alpine streams. We present a conceptual model summarizing the important links between environmental variables, from large-scale (regional/catchment) to stream-reach/patch-scale processes, to illustrate this physical habitat complexity. Existing alpine stream classification and zonation criteria are examined, and the environmental characteristics representative of the different stream classes are identified. The theme of habitat complexity is developed to assess the applicability of traditional (principally temperature-based) alpine stream classifications. These traditional classifications do not take into account spatial and temporal variations in water source contributions to alpine streams …