Introduction

Everything which surrounds us may be referred to as the environment. Habitat is the natural home or environment of a plant, animal, or another organism. It is a specific space located in the environment, therefore they are interrelated. Here is a discussion of what is the distinction between habitat and environment.

Habitat and environment both are important terms in ecology. The environment has a profound effect on human life. Physical constitution, food, clothing, culture, way of life- everything is controlled by this environment. The environment is mainly created by human beings.

Man builds his natural habitat in the environment. A habitat is an ecological zone or environment where certain species of animals, plants, or other species live. Like humans, other organisms are also affected by the environment. The changes in the environment may benefit or harm man’s habitat.

Sometimes the environment is used as a synonym for habitat, for example, the natural environment for giraffes is grazing land. So there are some relationships between the habitat and environment. Before discussing the distinction between habitat and environment, some detailed information about them is described here (1) & (3).

Environment

The environment is the circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or group of organisms. All the things people see around them are their environment. It has a number of life zones that support the birth and development of all types of organisms. The environment mainly gives an idea about the organism and its natural habitat (5).

Meaning

The word “environment” is a very wide term. This word is derived from the French word “environner”, which means to ‘encircle’ or ‘surround’. This word includes all physical and biological worlds, in which biological beings live, grow, get nourished, and develop their natural characteristics.

Definition

The environment is the sum of all biological, economical, physical, and chemical components that constitute the surroundings of living organisms.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1992) defines the environment as: “Environment is the sum of the outdoor conditions that affect the flora and fauna”.

According to C. C. Park, “Environment refers to the sum total of conditions which surround man at a given point in space and time” (1) & (6).

Component of the environment

The environment consists mainly of two components.

1. Biotic component

Biotic components refer to the living components of the environment. They can be shifted from one place to another. These components are primary producers, carnivorous, omnivorous, herbivorous, etc.

2. Abiotic component

These components are the non-living components of the environment. They cannot move from one place to another. Climate, soil, sunlight, water bodies, space, topography, and weather are the abiotic components of the environment.

Classification

The environment can be divided into two main parts based on natural differences and basic structures.  These are the natural environment or physical environment and the cultural or manmade environment. There was no such thing as a cultural environment before humans came to earth. Everything was a natural environment.

The natural environment was not conducive to human beings everywhere and always. So the cultural environment is the environment that man has created by changing the natural environment as needed and conveniently by the application of scientific techniques.

1. Physical environment

The physical environment is the creation of nature. This environment was created before the creators were born on Earth. Fauna has no role in creating the natural environment. The elements of this environment are geographical location, topography, climate, soil, water bodies with rivers, natural plants, minerals, etc.

2. Man-made environment or cultural environment

The role of nature in creating such an environment is secondary. These are man-made. Man creates such an environment for his own needs. The elements of this environment are society, religion, education, politics, business, etc. (6).

Habitat

The habitat is home and is grouped to form an ecosystem. The term comes up when ecologists refer to living organisms and their environment. It surrounds a population of one species and also determines the distribution of a particular species. Habitat is located in certain areas of the earth’s terrestrial and aquatic regions.

Meaning

The term habitat is widely used in ecology. This word comes from the Latin word “habitare” which means to live or to inhabit.

Definition

A place where an organism or a community of organisms naturally lives and grows is known as Habitat. It acts as an environment where a species can live and thrive. Habitats are formed by the abiotic factors of an environment. It is an environment or place in which one or more species of organisms survive on the basis of natural, chemical, and relative conditions (5).

Example

1. White bears, white foxes, lemming dogs, tiny algae, etc. form the natural habitat of the polar region.

2. The natural habitat of camels, desert foxes, etc. is the desert region, and

3. Tropical rainforests are the natural habitat of snakes, termites, bees, chameleons, and various types of orchids (1) & (3).

Classification of habitat

Habitats are mainly divided into two types.

1. Based on size and shape

• Micro habitat
• Macro habitat
• Meso habitat
• Mega habitat

2. Based on the type of location

• Terrestrial habitat
• Freshwater habitat
• Estuary habitat
• Ocean habitat (4).

Some interesting features of the habitat

1. A habitat is an ecological zone where certain species of animals, plants, or other species live.

2. The organisms living in the habitat interact with each other.

3. It is an ecological zone where certain species of animals, plants, or other species live.

4. Habitat contains many ecological niches.

5. It supports a variety of species.

6. The four main factors of habitat are Water, food, shelter, and space.

7. Some organisms in the environment have multiple habitats. For example, cheetahs, foxes, deer, etc. live in tropical rainforests, temperate rainforests, and Polar Regions.

8. Here organisms make their own home.

9. The area of the habitat ranges from a few square centimeters to a million square kilometers.

10. It fulfills all the environmental conditions an organism needs to survive (2) & (3).

Distinction between habitat and environment

The environment is everything that surrounds us. This environment around us constitutes a life support system. Through a process of natural selection and elimination, it is the environment that has caused the evolution of the biological spectrum.

On the other hand, a habitat is a particular space in the environment where a certain species formed their own home. Habitat and environment are interrelated. But there are a few differences between them. This is discussed below.

Written By: Manisha Bharati