Habitat Study Guide
Vocabulary
environment: all the living and nonliving things that surround an
organism
Organism: any living thing
Marsh: grassy wetland
Habitat: place where plant or animal lives
Elevation: height above sea level
Ecosystem: all living and nonliving things that exist and interact in
one place
Piedmont: an area of gently rolling land between the coast and
mountains.
Wetland: area of low land covered with water most of the year (In a
wetland, mostly trees and woody plants grow)
Estuary: place where salt water and fresh water mix
Barrier island: sandy strip of land offshore that protects the
mainland
Coast: place where ocean meets land
Continental shelf: ocean bottom; gently sloping area
Reef: ridge of rock on ocean bottom
Piedmont habitat: Georgia’s Piedmont covers most of North
central part of the state. It’s hilly region with many rivers and
streams. The rivers move slowly and are often muddy. It is warm in
the summer and cool in the winter. Forests of oak, hickory and
pine are located here. There is plenty of water and shelter for
plants and animals to survive.
Mountain: 2 mountain regions located in Georgia
1. Applachian Plateau Region
2. Blue Ridge Mountain Region
The temperature is often cool and windy due to it’s elevation. It
is often very wet.
Highest Mountain in Georgia is Brasstown Bald.
The thick forest provides shelter for deer, rabbits, and bears.
The soil on the lower part of the region is moist and contains lots
of nutrients. Large forests grow here and are homes to many
plants and animals such as whitetail deer, squirrels, and foxes.
The top of the region is dry and rocky. Plants must be able to
survive in cool, windy weather. Animals that lives here have
thick fur to keep them warm. (Example: black bear)
Swamps/Marshes: (wet environments) Swamps and Marshes can
contain fresh and salt water. Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp is the
largest freshwater swamp in North America. Trees and other woody
plants grow in swamps. Grasses grow in marshes. Most common
salt water grass is called cord grass. Fish, snails, crabs, and
mussels use salt marsh grasses for shelter. Marshes act as sponges
soaking up heavy rain that flood the land around them.
Barrier Island: Georgia has 14 major barrier islands. These islands
block damaging winds and ocean waves from Georgia’s estuaries,
salt marshes and mainland. Without barrier islands, winds and
waves would carry away sand and soil from coastal land.
Coast: Made up of sandy beaches. The beaches are homes to many
living things. Many birds and loggerhead turtles make the coast
their home. Loggerhead turtles lay their eggs in the sand. A dune is
a mound of sand formed by wind and moving water. The roots of
sand dunes help trap and hold the sand dune in place. Sand dunes
protect the inland areas from wind, ocean waves and spray. The
sand dunes are habitats for birds and ghost crabs. The sand dunes
have a harsh environment and must be able to survive salt spray,
poor soil, and constant winds. Sea oats grow well in sand dunes.
Beaches often have sand dunes.
Ocean Life / Atlantic Ocean: The ocean is made up of many
kinds of habitats. The continental shelf has 2 habitats. The first is
the sandy bottom where few plants and animals live. The second is
the live bottom habitat or reef. In reefs, corals and sponges attach
to the rocks. Their bodies provide places for other animals to live
and hide.
Gray’s Reef is an example of live bottom habitat. Logger head
turtles, right whales, many kinds of fish, crabs, lobsters, sea stars
and shrimp live in the reef habitat.