PowerPoint Presentation

HABITATS AND NICHES

Aim: What are habitats and niChes?

Habitat:The area or natural environment in which an organism or population normally lives.animalsliving specieshumansplants

A habitat is made of the following:physical environmentbiotic environment

A habitats physical environment includes the following:soilmoisturerange of temperatureavailability of light

A habitats biotic environment includes:availability of foodpresence of predators

In a habitat, an organism must findfoodwatershelterspace

FORESTExample of a habitat:

UNDER THE SEAExample of a habitat:

desertExample of a habitat:

A habitat can be very large or very small. A polar bears habitat covers the annual sea ice (vast area of land) and they can be found 200 miles offshore. A barnacles habitat can be found on a simple rock, shell or whale.Ice land

microhabitatThe term microhabitat is often used to describe small-scale physical requirements of a particular organism or population.

Example of microhabitat:

Log rotting in a forest

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niche

A niche is an organisms role (job) in the ecosystem.It includes what the organism eats, where it lives, and what it does.What is a niche?

Types of niches:Fundamental nicheRealized niche

FUNDAMENTAL NICHEcan be defined as the range of environmental conditions in which each of the species survives.

REALIZED NICHEcan be termed as the range of environmental conditions in which a species is really found.

Example of Fundamental and Realized Niche

Example:

raccoonsnaturally live in forests and eats insects, fruits, and other small creaturesFundamental niche

Example:An encroachment by humans changes their habitat to an urban environment and they start to live off of our trash and other wasteRealized niche

raccoons

Examples of a Niche.

What is the niche of a beaver?A beavers niche in the ecosystem includes:cutting down treesbuilding a dam to flood an area and make a pondbuilding a lodge to live inraising a family of beaverschewing bark and wood

Red-Tailed Hawk & Barred Owl

Birds of preyLive in forests on the edge of fieldsEat mice and other rodentsNest in trees

Red-tailed hawkBarred owl

No two species can occupy the exact same niche, because no two species do the exact same thing.

If they do, or try to, there will be competition between the two organisms. One organism will have to change or become extinct.