Habitat as the Place Where Organisms Live
Definition
Habitat
A habitat is the specific place where an organism, population, species, or community lives. The word comes from the Latin habitare, meaning "to live."A
- There are two main elements of habitats:
- Geographical Location: The physical area an organism inhabits.
- Physical Conditions: Environmental factors like temperature, light, soil type, and water availability.
- Haitats can be as large as a tropical rainforest or as small as the underside of a leaf.
- They includes all biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors affecting an organism’s survival, reproduction, and behavior.
- The habitat of Ranunculus glacialis is high-altitude mountainous regions in Europe.
- These areas experience snow cover in winter, acidic and well-drained soils, and intense sunlight during the short summer.
Who Lives in a Habitat?
- Levels of Biological Organization:
- Individual Organism: A single polar bear on Arctic sea ice.
- Population: A group of polar bears in a specific region.
- Species: All polar bears worldwide.
- Community: All organisms in the Arctic (e.g., polar bears, seals, algae, fish).
- Each level relies on the habitat for resources (food, shelter, breeding sites) and environmental conditions (temperature, salinity, etc.).
When describing a habitat, always consider both the physical environment (e.g., soil type, temperature) and the ecosystem type (e.g., desert, forest, wetland).
Components of a Habitat
- Biotic Factors:
- Living elements (plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms).
- Include predation, competition, mutualism, and other interactions.
- Abiotic Factors:
- Non-living elements (temperature, light, water, soil, air).
- Often define habitat boundaries and which organisms can survive there.
In a mangrove habitat, biotic factors include crabs and fish, while abiotic factors like high salt levels and waterlogged soils shape which species can live there.
