Habitats (Science SOL 3.6)
A habitat is any place where an animal or plant species lives and has adapted to its
environment. A habitat is where a population lives. A population is a group of living organisms
of the same kind living in the same place at the same time. All of the populations interact and
form a community. Plants and animals share limited resources. A habitat has to meet the
needs of the organisms within it. Animals in a habitat need food, water, shelter, and space.
There are two main kinds of habitats: dry-land and water-related. The dry-land environments
include: deserts, grasslands, forests, and rain forests. The water-related environments include:
ponds, marshlands, swamps, streams, rivers, and oceans.
Dry-land
Habitats
Waterrelated
Habitats
Dry-Land Environments
Deserts
Deserts are very dry areas because they get very little
precipitation. Some deserts get both very hot (during the
day) and very cold (during the night, when temperatures
can drop well below freezing).
Some deserts, however, are always cold (for example, the Gobi Desert in Asia). Animals that
live in the desert have adaptations to cope with the lack of water, the extreme temperatures,
and the shortage of food. Animals that live in the desert include: the armadillo, coyote,
rattlesnake, owls, and roadrunner.
Grasslands, prairies, and savannahs
A grassland is a grassy, windy, partly-dry area with only a
few scattered trees growing in the rich soil. In the United
States, grassland habitats are called prairies. On the
African continent, they are known as savannahs.
The animals that live in grasslands have adapted to dry, windy conditions. There are grazing
animals (antelopes, bison), burrowing animals (mice, prairie dogs), and their predators (wolves,
lions, cheetahs). Insects are also abundant.
Forests
A forest is a large piece of land covered with trees and
bushes. Coniferous forests are found in the northern
regions of the world and they are made up of
evergreen trees. Bears, deer, squirrels, and many other
animals make their homes in forests.
Rain Forests
Rainforests are very thick, warm, wet forests.
Rainforests are very important to all of the Earth’s
organisms. Much of the Earth’s oxygen is created by
plants in the rainforests. These plants are also used
to make medicines that fight disease and sickness.
Different animals and plants live in different parts of the rainforest.
The emergent layer is made up of giant trees full of birds and insects.
The canopy is the home of many insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals.
The understory is under the leaves, but over the ground.
The forest floor is covered with many insects.
Water-Related Environments
Pond
Ponds are small, still, shallow pools of water. Ponds
do not have salty water like the water in the ocean,
because they are formed by fresh water. Ponds
support many forms of plant and animal life. Some
animals live in the water (fish, crayfish, tadpoles),
some live above the water (ducks, insects), and
others live in the area surrounding the pond
(raccoons, earthworms).
In the
water
Above the
water
Surrounding
area
Marshlands and Swamps
Marshlands are wetlands in low places near creeks, streams, rivers, and lakes. The water is
usually one to six feet deep, and the rich land in marshes supports many kinds of grasses,
flowers, and bushes. Some animals live in the water (including fish, crabs, shrimp, tadpoles,
insect larvae), some animals live at the surface of the water (like frogs, turtles, beavers), some
animals live above the water (like birds, insects, frogs), and other animals live in the spongy
areas of land surrounding the swamp (like raccoons, opossums, muskrats, deer, snails,
earthworms), using the marsh for feeding, shelter, and/or nesting areas.
In the
water
Above the
water
Surface of
the water
Surrounding
area
Streams and Rivers
Streams and rivers are made up of surface water finding
its way downhill. Streams come together to make rivers,
which eventually end up flowing into the oceans. Animals
that live in and around the water of streams and rivers
include: fish, snakes, frogs, turtles, birds, and insects.
Oceans
Oceans cover three quarters of the Earth's
surface and contain almost 97% of the
Earth's water supply. The oceans are full
of many different types of plant and
animal life. The surface water of the
oceans provides a home for plankton,
which is a very important part of the
ocean food chain. Fish, dolphins, sharks,
whales, and birds are some of the animals
that feed in these waters. As the ocean
waters get deeper, the food supply goes
down as far as the sunlight. Animals in
the deepest parts of the oceans must eat
each other to survive.