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

Water-related

Habitats

Dry-Land EnvironmentsDeserts

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 savannahsA 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.

ForestsA 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 ForestsRainforests 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 EnvironmentsPond

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

Surface of the water

Above the water

Surrounding area

Streams and RiversStreams 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.

OceansOceans 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.