Habitat

Edexcel A-level BiologyThe Nature of EcosystemsLesson 2 of 39

A habitat is the place where an organism lives. It provides the conditions and resources the organism needs to survive and reproduce, such as food, water, shelter and a suitable temperature.

Examples: the habitat of a limpet is a rocky seashore; the habitat of a trout is a cool, fast-flowing, well-oxygenated river; the habitat of a bluebell is deciduous woodland.

Within a habitat there are smaller areas with their own particular conditions, called microhabitats. For example, in a woodland the underside of a log is dark, damp and cool, and is the microhabitat of woodlice, while the canopy is bright, dry and windy. Many small organisms are found only in one microhabitat because they are adapted to its conditions.

Key terms in this lesson

biodiversity

The variety of life in an area, including species diversity, genetic diversity and habitat diversity.

More in The Nature of Ecosystems

• Ecosystem
• Community
• Abiotic Factors
• Biotic Factors
• Biosphere
• Primary Succession
• Climax Community
• Secondary Succession

All 39 lessons in The Nature of Ecosystems · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics