What is Habitat?

Habitat is a natural environment where a group of plants, animals, or other organisms live and grow. In simple words, habitats are places where organisms live for food, water, and shelter to survive. There are eight major habitats on Earth. They include Grassland, Polar, Desert, Mountain, Temperate Forest, Freshwater, Ocean and Rainforest habitats. Habitat helps regulate the climate of the earth, supports biodiversity, and also supports human life by providing food, and drinking water, and supports industries like boating, fishing, and tourism. This article will discuss the Habitat, Major components of habitat and the Types of Habitat.

What is a Habitat?

Habitat is a home-like ecological place where a group of species lives together for food, water, shelter, and reproduction. As per ecology, a habitat includes so many living and non-living factors that meet all the natural conditions needed to survive for a particular species. There are so many forests, grasslands, oceans, coral reefs, wetlands, and other biological communities that make up the habitats. Organisms develop adaptations to thrive in their respective habitats. It makes the concept of habitat important in understanding ecological relationships and biodiversity.

Major Components of Habitat

There are so many environmental factors which can create a sustainable and suitable shelter for different organisms. These factors are the major and foremost components which creates the habitat. These factors are categorized into two factors in general:

• Abiotic or Non-living Factors
• Biotic or Living Factors

Abiotic or Non-living Factors

Abiotic factors are the non-living factors that make up the environment. Earth, air, water, and different minerals are the abiotic factors. These factors include some physical conditions such as temperature, pH, humidity, salinity, etc. Chemical agents are also considered as the abiotic factors.

Biotic or Living Factors

Biotic factors are the living organisms present in a particular ecosystem. Plants, animals and microorganisms are considered as the biotic factors. There are five major biotic factors present in the ecosystem.

• Producers: Produces can perform photosynthesis and convert sunlight, water, and CO₂ to energy rich compounds.
• Consumers: Consumers are not able to produce their food and actively depend on the producers.
• Herbivores: Herbivores consume green vegetation to produce energy.
• Carnivores: Carnivores consume other animals to produce energy.
• Omnivores: Omnivores consume both plants and animals to produce energy.

Also Read: What are environment and Ecosystem?

The detailed table of all abiotic and biotic factors is given below:

Types of Habitat

A habitat is a specific place or environment where an organism or a community of organisms lives and carries out its life processes. There are major ten types of habitats and each of them is characterized by specific physical and biological features. Lets discuss.

Aquatic Habitat

Aquatic Habitat is a water body which contains aquatic flora and fauna. These types of habitat provides food, shelter to the aquatic organisms. There are so many Aquatic Habitats present on Earth like Oceans, Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, Reservoirs, Wetlands, etc.

• If the water body is fresh, then it will consider as freshwater habitat.
• On ther other side, if the water body is salty then it will be a marine habitat.
• Coral reefs are also one type of aqatic habitat as they made up with the skeletons of corals.
• They are the largest water biome and first life evolved here in this biome.

Terrestrial Habitat

Terrestrial Habitats can be natural or human made. There are some terrestrial habitats which can be found under the ground. It is divided into different categories like forests, deserts, and tundras.

• Climate varies for these habitates from tropical to polar.
• Soil composition impacts the nature of plants.
• Human activities like deforestation, urbanization, and pollution impacts these habitats.
• These habitats are hotspots of biodiversity that suppots so many organisms.

Grassland Habitat

Grassland or savana habitats are those places where grasses and non-woody plants grows. The rainfall is minimal and looks alike a desert.

• Grassland habitats receives more rainfall than deserts.
• They have less precipitation than the forest habitats.
• Plants are generally grasses.
• Vegetation do not need much water.
• Except Antarctica, every continent has grasslands.
• One-fourth of the Earth is covered by the grasslands.
• Grasslands are usually found between the mountains and deserts.

Polar Habitat

Polar habitats are the ice deserts and present in the two poles of the Earth. These habitats are extremely cold in nature.

• Polar habitats are found at the North and South Poles of the Earth.
• The North Pole is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean.
• The South Pole is located on Antarctica. This area is completely covered with a layer of ice.
• In the Arctic, the average winter temperature is around - 22°F and in the South pole the temperature is —129°F.
• For extreme cold there is no trace of plants.
• Shrubs, mosses, and algaes are able to grow into this extreme cold.
• Polar bears and arctic foxes are found in the Arctic region.

Desert Habitat

Desert Habitats are the terrestrial with low moisture and dry climates. They have around 20 inches of precipitation per year.

• Deserts are the driest place on this planet.
• Annual rain is 25 cm approx.
• Many deserts of the earth formed around 10000 years ago.
• Plants and animals of deserts adapted the ability to survive without water.

Mountain Habitat

Mountain Habitats are present in the high altitudes. These habitat affects by the geography of the region and climate.

• Mountain habitats are on every continent.
• The largerst mountain ranges around 40000 miles long.
• 90% mountains are present in the ocean.
• A mountain has different biomes from top to bottom.
• In foothills there are deciduous forests and at high altitude there are coniferous forests.
• Grizzly bears and hoary marmots has adoped the ability to stay in the extreme climate of mountains.

Temperate Forest Habitat

Temperate Forest Habitat located in the middle latitude area and covers the 25% of the Earth's forest. These habitats have warm and cools air flow.

• The regions have a medium climate where there is no extreme hot or cold.
• These forests are generally full of trees with wide and thin leaves.
• The climate is warm here in the summer and cold in the winter seasons.
• Temperate forests can grow up to around 100 feet tall.
• Squirrels and chipmunks lives in these habitats.

Freshwater Habitat

Fresh water habitats are the major resources present on the Earth's surface. These are the generally freshwater ecosystems.

• Freshwater habitats are rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams, etc.
• Fish, Snails, worms, turtles, frogs, marsh birds, mollusks, alligators, beavers, otters, snakes, and many types of insects lives here in this habitat.
• Freshwater accounts for only 3 percent of the world's total waterbody.

Ocean Habitat

Ocean Habitats are the largest habitats present on the Earth. They cover the 70% of the planet. Here are some details.

• Oceans habitats are the containers of salty waterbody.
• Oceans are deep as well as wide upto a little over two miles.
• Oceans also help keep the planet warm and also contributes to the rain cycle. Without ocean the Earth will become icy rock.
• 95% organisms of the ocean habitats are invertebrates. Example: Jellyfish and shrimp.
• Tiny algaes called phytoplanktons are responsible for producing oxygen in underwater to sustain the life.

Rainforest Habitat

Rainforest Habitats are the warm habitats which covers the 14% of the Earth's surface. These are the warm and wet habitats.

• Rainforest habitats are lush, warm and wet habitats which can grow tall.
• The rainforest has four layers.
• The emergent layer is the domain of the tallest trees. They are the higher than the rest of the forest.
• The canopy is made of the leaves and branches of the trees. They all touch one another or are connected by vines.
• The layer below the canopy is called the understory. Small trees and plants that do not need much light grow here.
• The last layer is the forest floor where only a few plants grow because it’s so dark.
• Trees and other plants release water into the atmosphere which is known as transpiration.
• More than half of the Earth's animals live in the rainforest habitat.

Habitat Ecology

Habitat Ecology is a field of study related to ecology. It talks about the different habitats and their interactions with different organisms. Habitat Ecology helps us to understand the different physical and biotic components of a particular habitat. It explores how living organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, interact with the abiotic (non-living) components of their habitats. This field seeks to understand the structure, function, and dynamics of habitats, as well as the adaptations of organisms to specific environmental conditions.

Conclusion - Habitat

A habitat provides set of environmental conditions and physical space that are essential for the survival and reproduction of all living organisms. It provide organisms with food, water, air, and shelter. There are eight major type of habitat that includes forest, grassland, desert, mountain, ocean, rainforest, freshwater and polar habitat. From the extremes deserts to the green rainforests, these ecosystems offer essential services such as climate regulation, water purification, and resources for countless species. Preserving and conserving these habitats is crucial, as they not only support the balance of ecosystem but also contribute to the well-being of humanity.

Also Read:

• Adaptation and Habitats
• What is Ecology? Types, Importance And Examples