10.2 Habitat

. Habitat Habitat refers to the place where an organism or a community of organisms live, including all biotic and abiotic factors or conditions of the surrounding environment. The collection of all the habitat areas of a species constitutes its geographical range. Organisms in a habitat interact with each other and can be part of trophic levels to form food chains and food webs.

Examples: In a xerophytic habitat, the camel is able to use water efficiently and effectively for evaporative cooling through their skin and respiratory system. They excrete highly concentrated urine and can also withstand dehydration upto % of the body weight. The hoofs and hump are also suitable adaptations for survival in this dry sandy environment. In an aquatic media, maintaining homeostasis and osmotic balance is a challenge.

So, marine animals have appropriate adaptations to prevent cell shrinkage. While freshwater organisms have suitable adaptations to withstand bursting of their cells. Apart from this, organisms such as fish have a wide range of adaptations like fins (locomotion), streamlined body (aerodynamic), lateral line system (sensory), gills (respiration), air sacs (floatation) and kidneys (excretion).