habitat n : the type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs; "a marine habitat"; "he felt safe on his home grounds" [syn: home ground]

English

Noun

1. a specific place or natural conditions in which a plant or animal lives.

Related terms

• habitable

Translations

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (PRC) 栖息地 (qīxīdì); (Taiwan) 棲息地 (qīxídì)

• Finnish: asuinpaikka, elinpiiri
• Indonesian: habitat
• Interlingua: habitat
• Romanian: habitat
• Japanese:生息地seisokuchi

A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits") is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species. It is the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the physical environment that surrounds (influences and is utilized by) a species population.

The term "species population" is preferred to "organism" because, while it is possible to describe the habitat of a single black bear, we may not find any particular or individual bear but the grouping of bears that comprise a breeding population and occupy a certain biogeographical area. Further, this habitat could be somewhat different from the habitat of another group or population of black bears living elsewhere. Thus it is neither the species nor the individual for which the term habitat is typically used.

A microhabitat is a physical location that is home to very small creatures, such as woodlice. Microenvironment is the immediate surroundings and other physical factors of an individual plant or animal within its habitat.

Ecological use

The term "habitat" can be used more broadly in ecology. It was originally defined as the physical conditions that surround a species, or species population, or assemblage of species, or community (Clements and Shelford, 1939). Thus, it is not just a species population that has a habitat, but an assemblage of many species living together in the same place that essentially share a habitat. In ecology, the habitat shared by many species is called a biotope. A biome is the set of flora and fauna which live in a habitat and occupy a certain geography.

Habitats can provide greater protection from big animals, for example, a thick undergrowth where an animal such as the Kudu may hide or go unnoticed.

Threats

Habitat destruction is a major factor in causing a species population to decrease, eventually leading to its being endangered, or even to its extinction. Large scale land clearing usually results in the removal of native vegetation and habitat destruction. Bushfires and poor fire management, pest and weed invasion, cyclone and storm damage can also destroy habitat.

One of the roles of national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas is to provide adequate refuge to animals by preserving habitat.

Human habitat

Human habitat is the environment in which human beings live, work, play and move about. It is not just a dwelling place – a house - but the sum of all factors that constitute the total environment.

See also

• Biological exponential growth

References

Further reading

• Clements, Frederic E., and Victor E. Shelford. 1939. Bio-ecology. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 425 pp.
• Social Production of Habitat

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