The big idea: A habitat is the place where an organism, a population, a species or a community lives. It is the address; what the species does there is its niche.
The points to remember
- Geographical location: where on Earth, such as a country, coastline or region.
- Physical location: where exactly, such as the middle shore, a riverbank or the forest floor.
- Type of ecosystem: rocky shore, coral reef, rainforest, grassland or swamp.
- A habitat can belong to one organism, a population, a species or a whole community.
Habitat
- Where it lives
- Geographical and physical location
- Type of ecosystem
Niche
- How it lives: its role
- How it feeds, grows and reproduces
- Its abiotic and biotic interactions
Remember it as: Habitat = address; niche = job.
Real example: a population of limpets. The limpets on one stretch of rocky shore are a population; with the barnacles, seaweeds and crabs that share those rocks they form a community, and all of them live in the same rocky-shore habitat.
Trap: A full habitat description has more than one layer: 'in the sea' is too vague. Give where on Earth, where exactly, and the ecosystem.
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How it is asked: Expect 'outline the habitat of a named species', or a question that asks you to tell a habitat from a niche.
IB-style questionOutline[3 marks]
Outline the habitat of the Eurasian red squirrel in Scotland.
Model answer plan
See the answer broken into clear points, with guidance on how each point earns marks.