A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits") is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular animal or plant species.12 It is the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the physical environment that surrounds (influences and is utilized by) a species population.citation needed
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.
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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
- Avian range expansion
- Biological exponential growth
- Habitat conservation
- Natural environment
- Reconciliation ecology
- Source-sink dynamics
References
- ^ Dickinson, C.I. 1963. British Seaweeds. The Kew Series
- ^ Abercrombie, M., Hickman, C.J. and Johnson, M.L. 1966.A Dictionary of Biology. Penguin Reference Books, London
Further reading
- Clements, Frederic E., and Victor E. Shelford. 1939. Bio-ecology. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 425 pp.
- Social Production of Habitat
External links
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