FACTORS OF A HABITAT

What are the environmental factors of a habitat?

In every habitat there are factors that affect the survival and health of the organisms living in it.

The living factors including the availabity of food and the presence of other organisms.

The non-living or physical factors including temperature, water, light, air and soil.  

Temperature:-

The temperature of an environment is a measure of how hot or cold it is.

If the temperature is too high, plants and animals may lose too much water. If the temperature is too low, they may die from extreme cold or lack of water because any water present may freeze up.

However, some organisms can live in very hot or very cold environments.

The cactus stores water in its stem. Its needle –like leaves prevent it from losing too much water in desert heat.

The polar bear has layers of fat and fur. They help to keep the polar bears warm in cold weather.

Water:-

Organisms need water to survive. The amount of water in a habitat depends on how much it rains.

Some habitats get their water from ponds and rivers. Some organisms, such as frogs, need a lot of water to survive. Some organisms, such ad fishes, live in water. Some organisms, such as the cactus can survive with little water. Animals need to drink water to survive. The brown bear lives close to water where it can find fish to eat.

Light:-

Plants need to sunlight to make its food. The amount of sunlight in a habitat can determine the types of plants that live there. This will in turn affect the type of food found in a habitat. Most animals

Need light to move around to find food. However, some animal, such as bats and worms, can live in total darkness.

The sunflower grows well in places with lots of sunlight.

Earthworms avoid sunlight because the sun will dry them up and they may die.

Air:-

Air is important to carry out life processes. Plant need carbon dioxide to make food. Plants and animals need oxygen for respiration. In water habitat, the plants and animals get oxygen and carbon dioxide from air dissolved in water. In high altitude places, such as the mountains , there is less oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air, so fewer organisms  can live there.

Fishes get oxygen from water.

Soil:-

Soil is important for plant growth and to the animals that live in them. Plants get their water and nutrients from the soil. Different plants need different types of soil to survive. The type of soil also determine the types of animals that can live in them. For example, earthworms live in garden soil which is loose enough for them to burrow through.

Sandy soil contains large air spaces and cannot hold much water. The cactus can live in sandy soil.

Clayey soil has small air spaces and can hold a lot of water. Mangroves tree can live here because their aerial roots enable them to take in oxygen from the air.

Availability of food:-

Plants can make their own food, but animals have to find their food. Many animals demand on plants for food. Some animals eat other animals as a food. Animals also have to compete with one another for food. If some animals cannot get food from a habitat, they cannot live there.

Many animals such as seagulls, compete with one another for food.

Other organisms:-

The presence of other organisms in a habitat can affect the survival of a population. Some organisms depend on one another. For example, trees provide food and shelter for some forest animals. In turn the animals that feed on the fruits of the trees help to disperse the seeds to other places.

Trees and the animals that live in them may depend on one another.