What are Organisms And Their Habitats?
Plants and animals exist in different environments and maintain their growth and development under adverse conditions as they adapt to their surroundings.
In this section, a brief overview of different habitats is discussed.
What are the different types of Terrestrial Habitats?
Mountain regions
In mountain areas like the Alps, and the Himalayas, the mountain region is most of the time snowy and windy. It is common to find snow leopards, yaks, and mountain goats in such habitats. These animals have thick fur on their body and feet to keep them warm during snowy days. Trees usually existing in such regions are conical in shape and have needle-like leaves. This kind of structure of trees helps them in collecting and sliding of the snow and rain easily.
Deserts
Camels seen in deserts live without water for days. This is because their skin is thick and hence they do not sweat. Camels excrete small quantities of urine and also have dry dung. Other animals such as rats, and snakes existing in deserts live deep inside the burrow during the daytime and come out only during the night when it is cooler. In the case of plants, the Cactus is a very well-known plant that grows in the desert without much requirement of water. An explanation for this is that cactus plants lack leaves and possess spines. These spines prevent the loss of water through transpiration. Additionally to this, the stem is covered with a thick wax coating which serves the purpose to retain water. Another characteristic feature of desert plants is that the stem usually conducts photosynthesis and the roots are buried deep in the soil to absorb minerals and water.
Grasslands
The animals habituating in grasslands are the lion, tigers, elephants, deer, etc. A deer has sharp ears to protect itself from its predator and has long and thin legs in order to run fastly during times of danger. Comparatively, a lion has light brown color to hide in the grasslands while hunting for its prey and has long claws to attack its prey. Thus, each animal in grasslands has their own characteristic features in order to live for its purpose of survival and defend itself during danger.