Habitat

Habitat is the natural environment in which a species or population lives, grows, and reproduces. It provides essential resources such as food, water, shelter, and suitable conditions for survival, and it is shaped by abiotic factors like climate, soil, and hydrology as well as biotic factors such as vegetation, predators, and symbiotic partners. A habitat is not the same as a niche; the niche describes how a species uses resources within a habitat, while the habitat describes where it lives.

Habitats vary widely across ecosystems. Terrestrial habitats include forests, grasslands, deserts, and tundra; aquatic habitats include rivers and lakes; marine habitats include coral reefs and open-ocean environments. Microhabitats are small-scale places within a larger habitat, such as leaf litter, crevices, or burrows. Some habitats are natural, while others are artificial or modified by humans, such as agricultural fields, urban green spaces, and managed wetlands.

Organisms adapt to their habitats through a combination of physiological, behavioral, and life-history traits. Habitat quality and extent influence population size and health. Movement and survival are affected by edge effects, habitat fragmentation, and connectivity, which determine how species disperse and gene flow is maintained.

Threats and conservation: Habitat loss, fragmentation, degradation, and climate change threaten many species. Conservation strategies include protecting natural areas, restoring degraded habitats, creating corridors to maintain connectivity, sustainable land use, and controlling invasive species.

Assessment and management: Researchers map habitats, assess quality, and monitor changes over time to inform conservation and land-use decisions.