Home Sweet Habitat: Crash Course Kids #21.1

Summary

A habitat is the place an organism lives, along with the living and non-living things it depends on. Animals need food, water, shelter, and space. Their bodies and needs suit particular habitat conditions, so a polar bear is adapted to the Arctic—not to the hot desert.

Food chains show how energy moves among living things, but many chains overlap to form a food web. Food webs differ between habitats because conditions such as temperature, landforms, and water availability affect which organisms can live there.

Forest

Plants use sunlight to make sugar. Animals eat plants and other animals, creating a complex food web. Insects, fungi, and bacteria decompose remains and return nutrients to the environment, supporting plant growth.

Arctic

Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food web. Zooplankton eat them; fish eat zooplankton and smaller fish; and animals such as seals, whales, and polar bears feed at higher levels. Cold temperatures slow decomposition, and there are fewer decomposers such as insects and earthworms.

Polar Bears

Arctic food provides the fat and protein polar bears need, and their adaptations help them stay comfortable in extreme cold. They are not suited to the desert or forest.

Researchers or Sources Featured

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