Animal Habitats
Study Guide
Vocabulary
population - a specific group of plant or animal organisms. Examples
would be a flock of geese near a pond or a herd of elephants in the
grassland.
community - a collection of different populations interacting with each
other and their environment. An example of a dry-land community
would be a forest made up of trees, squirrels, worms, rabbits, and
hawks. An example of a water-related community would be an ocean
made up of fish, crabs, and seaweed.
habitat - the natural environment of a plant or animal. Examples include
grasslands, desert, tundra, forest, and ocean.
Key Concepts
 Water-related environments include those with fresh water or salt
water. Examples include ponds, marshes, swamps, streams, rivers, and
oceans.
 Dry-land environments include deserts, grasslands, rain forests, and
forests.
 Students should be able to describe each habitat and give examples of
plants and animals that live in each one.
 Students should be able to compare and contrast land habitats and
water habitats.
 There are distinct differences among pond, marshland, swamp,
stream, river, ocean, desert, grassland, rainforest, and forest
environments.
 Organisms compete for the limited resources in their specific
environment.
 Students should be able to predict what would happen if a population
in a specific habitat would die.