The habitat is the place where an organism lives and develops, represented by the set of biotic and abiotic factors.
Habitat is generally characterized by a predominant plant form or physical feature.
In ecology, habitats are differentiated into terrestrial and aquatic. Among the aquatic ones, we also have the freshwater and marine ones.
Each habitat has unique characteristics that allow the existence of the most varied forms of life.
For example, consider rainforest habitat and seafloor. Each of them has different conditions of light, temperature, oxygen concentration, humidity and availability of food resources.
No organism can live in every type of environment on Earth. Thus, each one specialized to live under certain types of habitats.
The habitat does not have a defined size, it can be from a tree trunk to the whole extension of a tropical forest.
Examples
Within their natural habitat, organisms find the conditions necessary for their survival such as shelter, food and breeding partners.
Habitats of some animals
Lion: African savannahs;
Jaguar: forests of North, Central and South America;
Giraffe: African savannahs;
Manatee: Amazon rivers;
Crabs: mangroves;
Foxes: temperate forests;
Toucans: tropical forests;
Camels: deserts.
The lion's habitat is the African savannah
don't confuse habitat and ecological niche. The habitat is where the species lives and the ecological niche it is the function that the species performs in that place.
Learn more about the difference between Habitat and Ecological Niche.
Natural and artificial habitats
Habitats can be classified into natural and man-made.
- Natural habitat: as the name says, they are found in nature, without human intervention.
- Artificial Habitat: are those built by man.
Artificial habitats were created with the aim of recreating the environment of some species. One example is zoos.
Destruction of habitats
The destruction of habitats is one of the main causes of the loss of biodiversity. It is noteworthy that this process occurs as a result of human activities.
The causes of this process are:
- Growth of cities;
- Logging;
- Opening of roads;
- Agricultural expansion.
When habitat is destroyed, a population is forced to migrate to another region. However, the new environment is not always suitable for their living conditions.
There are still species that cannot migrate, such as plants, which are subject to the action of ecosystem modification by man.
THE Amazon rainforest it is the habitat of diverse species, one of the most diverse environments on Earth. Despite the extraordinary diversity, it is estimated that approximately 20,000 km are lost each year.2 of forest, which is equivalent to the state of Sergipe.
Learn more, read also:
ecosystem
Environment
Biotic and Abiotic Factors
