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| Habitat |
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| The surroundings or the localities in which a variety of plants and animals occur in nature is called habitat. The word habitat means living or dwelling place. Habitat of an organism is a part of the total environment of the region and it must offer the resident organism food, shelter and climatic conditions that are well suited for the organism to survive, reproduce and flourish. |
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| The habitat of an organism has 2 components |
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 Abiotic components |
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 Biotic components |
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| The abiotic components are classified as follows. |
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 Climatic factors |
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| a) light |
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| b) temperature |
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| c) water - rainfall, precipitation |
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| d) atmosphere (gases and wind) |
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| e) fire |
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 Topographic or physiographic factors |
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| a) Altitude |
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| b) Direction of mountain chains and valleys |
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| c) Steepness and exposure of slopes |
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 Edaphic factors - soil formation, physical and chemical properties of soil, nutrients. |
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| The biotic factors are classified into 3 categories. |
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| a) Producers |
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| b) Consumers |
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| c) Decomposers |
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| Each and every organism has a role or function to play, and the role which an organism plays is called its niche. Habitat is the organisms address and the niche is its profession or job. |
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