Definition: Habitat is a home to wide range of living things. Or by other word is a natural home for animal or plants. It contains a high biodiversity. When ecologists study a habitat, They need to collect data about it. This is not only provides information about organisms that live there, but the data can also be stored and used to monitor the habitat-at a later date, another survey can be made and the data obtained can be compared with the previous data. This shows how the populations of species have fared in the time between the surveys. Some may have have increase,others decreased and some stayed the same. By comparing data in this way,the biodiversity of the habita can be monitored. Then, if it falls,events close by,such as a change in land use or the release pollutants,can be studied carefully for signs for environmental change.Here are some examples:\

Using a quadratA quadrat is a square frame which we placed it over an area and the plants inside it are recorded. This is some of the simplest way to investigate a habitat. We usually dont choose the land carefully to make it fair. We just thrown over the shoulder so that it will land at random. The we record it. This method is repeated a number of times and the results of the random samples are used to build up a record of how the plants are distributed. An estimate of how many of each kind of plant there are in the are can then be made.

Making a transectLine transectsare used when you wish to illustrate a particular gradient or linear pattern along which communities of plants and, or animals change. They provide a good way of being able to clearly visualise the changes taking place along the line. Depending on how detailed the line transect is, they can usually be accomplished fairly quickly.Line transects do not produce as much information on the relative densities of individual species as abelt transectwould do. A line transect tells you what is there, but gives limited information on how much of it is present. If detailed density information is required then a belt transect must be carried out instead. The position of the transect is chosen carefully so that its cuts cross . Made by stretching length of rope along the line so that its cross the feature being examined and recording the plants growing at certain intervals(called stations) along the rope. When plants are being recorded,abiotic factors such as temperature or dampness of the soil may also be recorded to see if there is a pattern between the way the plants are distributed and the varying abiotic factors.

Collecting small animalsMany species of small animals live different parts of a habitat. They can be found in the soil, on the surface, leaf litter, among the leaf blades and flower stalks of herbaceous plants, on the branches, twigs. They can be collected from each of these regions.Collecting from soil and leaf litterApparatus: Tullgren funnelThe sample is placed on a gauze above the funnel and a beaker of water is placed below the funnel.The lamp is lowered over the sample and switch on. The heat from the lamp dries the soil or the leaf litter and the animals move to the more moist regions below . Finally the, the animals move out of the sample and into the funnel. The sides of the funnel are smooth so the animals cannot grip onto them and they fall into the water Pitfall trap-used to collect small animals over the ground. -dug a hole in the soil to hold containers. Such as yoghurt pots,arraged one inside the other. The containers are placed in the hole, and the gap around them up to the rim of the outer container is filled in with soil. A few small leaves are placed in the bottom of the container and four pebbles are placed in a square around the top of the trap. A piece of wood is put over the trap,resting on the pebbles. The wood makes a roof to keep the rain out and hides the container from predators. When a small animal falls in, It cannot climb the smooth walls of the inner container and remains in the trap, hiding under the leaves until the trap is emptied.

Sweep net-used to collect small animals from the tall grass such as flower stems of herbaceous plants.The lower edge of the net should be held slightly forward of the upper edge to scoop up the animals as the net is swept through the plants. After one or two sweeps the mouth of the net should be closed by hand and the contents emptied into a large plastic jar where the animals can be identified.Sheet and beater-used to collect small animals on branches.-Set a sheet below the branches and then shake or beat the branches with s\a stick. The vibrations dislodge the animals, which then fall onto the sheet. The smallest animals can be collected in apooterPooter-used to collect the smallest animals on the branchesTube A of the pooter is placed close to the animal and air is sucked out of tube B. -The low air pressure makes air rushes in through tube A, carrying the small animal with it.

Collecting pond animalsApparatusBenefitRegions

Drag netCollect animalsFrom the bottom of the pond

Pond-dipping netSweep through vegetationAround the edge of the pond

Plankton netPulled through the open water to collect small animals -

Studying the seashoreTransectmade from top of each type of shore down to the waters edge at low tideSandy shoresA quadrat can be placed on the san at 10 metre intervals down to the sea and any living things are recorded. Then,removed the quadrat and the sand dug out to a depth of 50 cm and sifted through a sieve to collect small animals . During the digging, larger animals nsuch as worms and molluscs may be encountered as the animals burrow away from the disturbance. A note of thei r presence could be made. After the speciments have been extracted and examined,they must be returne to their habitagt.

Rocky shoresA transect can be made with rock with a rope., and the presence and identity of seaweeds can be noted at 10- metre intervals along it. Small rock pools may hav e a quadrat placed over them and their outline marked on squared paper. The positions of seaweeds and animals such as limpeyd, mussels and sea anemomes could be plotted inside the outline. The temperature of rock pools could be taken at 10-metre intervals along the transect.AdaptationPlant and animal species are adapted to their habitats. The features they have that help them survive there are called adaptations.Adaptation to changing conditions-some plants and animals have special adaptations to these daily changes,Adaptations to daily changes(plants and animals)Most flowers open in day time to attract the insects for pollination, and close at night for protection from the cold or nocturnal feeders. Some flowers open and produce at night to attract moths for pollination. Most birds have eyes that only can see well in daylight. Owl can see well in the dark. Bats us echolocation to find food at night.

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