TERRESTRIAL HABITAT

Terrestrial habitat refers to life on land. They are recognized mainly by their vegetation. The major
factors affecting the nature of terrestrial habitat are rainfall and temperature.
The terrestrial habitat can be divided into four groups. These are:

1. Marsh
2. Rainforest
3. Savanna or grassland
4. Arid land

Marsh (Wetlands)
A marsh land can be defined as a lowland area or habitat which is usually flooded or seasonally water
logged. They are overgrown with grasses, rushes, sedges, and other leafy vegetation. It is often regarded
as a transition between the aquatic and terrestrial habitats (as is evident in their location). Marsh land
plants include grasses, shrubs and reeds. But when trees grow there it is called a swamp (i.e., wooded
wetlands)
Formation of marshes
Marshes generally occur in areas of lowlands and where drainage is poor, that is along flood plains of
rivers and river mouths with extensive deltas. Marshes may develop as a result of water overflowing its
banks to accumulate on the adjoining coastal or lowland areas, or when ponds and lakes are filled up with
soil from plants causing water logging.
Types of Marshes
There are two major types of marshes. These are fresh water and salt water marshes.
Characteristics of marshes
1. The soil in marshes is wet, soft, water logged and poorly aerated.
2. They are usually lowland habitats.
3. Stagnant water is often noticed in the marshes during the dry season. But in rainy season, the
whole land is highly flooded.
4. There is a high rate of organic decomposition leading to production of foul smelling gases as
hydrogen sulphide and methane.
5. The relative humidity in marshes is usually very high.
Plants and Animals found in Marshes
The common plants found in marshes include Algae, water lettuce (Pista), sword grass, duck weed
(Lema), sedges, white and red mangrove and raphia palm.
A variety of invertebrates such as worms, crabs, insects and mollusk live here. Most of them burrow,
others are skippers, fishes, frogs, toads, lizard and snakes, crocodile, e.t.c.
Adaptive features of organisms in the marsh.
1. Plants like mangroves that grow in waterlogged land do not get enough oxygen. They grow cone-
shaped roots called pneumatophores above the ground and take oxygen from the surrounding air.
2. Herbaceous plants have well developed root system which provides anchorage and storage.
3. Salt marsh plants have adaptations for dealing with high salt content in the water that surrounds
them
4. Due to low level of oxygen content in the muddy water of marsh, animals are adapted to respire
anaerobically.
5. The colour of crayfish is dark and dull. It helps to camouflage with its environment.
6. Ducks and crocodiles have webbed feet to move easily in marshy water
Forest Habitat
A forest is an extensive community of plants dominated by tall trees. These trees are usually of different
species and heights. The main forest biomes or communities include the tropical rainforest, the temperate
deciduous forests and the coniferous forest. Their distribution is mainly determined by climatic (abiotic)
factors like rainfall, temperature and relative humidity.
Characteristics of rain forest
1. Presence of broad leaves and buttress roots
2. Presence of tall trees with thick barks
3. Existence of canopies
4. Presence of epiphytes
Strata in the Forest
The rain forest has five main vegetative layers or strata. These are
1. The emergent layer- these trees come up above the canopy at intervals. Their crowns do not
touch each other. They are usually over 60 meters tall e.g. Iroko, Obeche, e.t.c.
2. The upper layer- the crowns of these trees touch each other, thereby forming a continuous
canopy just below the emergent. They are about 40 meters tall.
3. The middle layer- these are shade loving species, made up of small trees, less than 20 meters tall.
They form a continuous canopy below the upper storey.
4. The lower layer- these are composed of shade loving dwarf trees, palms and shrubs. About 10
meters in height. They are essentially small trees.
5. Ground layer- this is the forest floor and contains shade loving plants like herbs and fungi, which
hardly receive sunlight and can survive with minimal amounts of sunlight.
Distribution of plants and animals in a forest habitat
Unlike other forest, the rain forest has many types of trees including the African walnut, Mahogany, Teak
(Tectonia grandis), Opepe, Obeche, Iroko (Cleophora spp), oil palm, fungi, e.t.c.
Most of the animals live on trees. They include bats, monkeys, snakes, squirrel, birds, e.t.c. and the earth
dwellers that live among the litters like millipedes, ants, snails.
Adaptations of plants in a forest habitat
1. The tall trees have strong tap root system and buttress roots which aid anchorage and support for
the weight of the plant.
2. Presence of broad leaves to aid transpiration and photosynthesis.
3. Epiphytes have mechanisms for storing water and absorbing moisture from the air while growing
on tree branches.
Adaptation of animals in a forest habitat
1. Presence of long tails and strong limbs for climbing trees and jumping from one branch to
another e.g. squirrel.
2. Presence of protective coloration to camouflage or disguise from predators as is seen in
chameleons.
3. Keen and high sense of sight to detect enemies and easily identify preys.

Savanna/ Grassland
A grassland or savanna is a plant community in which grasses are dominant with short but scattered
trees and shrubs. The grassland lies between the forest and desert or arid lands. In this habitat, the rainfall
is not enough to support tree growth, only the growth of grasses.
Characteristics of the grassland
1. Predominance of grasses (about 70%).
2. Presence of short but scattered trees with small sizes of leaves.
 3. Absence of stratified canopies.
4. Presence of fire and drought resistant trees.
5. Presence of deciduous plants.

There are two types of grasslands. The tropical grassland and the temperate grassland.

Distribution of plants and animals in grassland

Due to the uneven distribution of rainfall, we have variety of tall, medium and short annual and perennial
plants. E.g. acacia, guinea grass, shea butter, baobab trees, euphorbia and palm.
The vegetation here supports a variety of herbivores which in turn are preyed on by carnivores. The
world’s richest animal lives are found in the savanna of Africa. Examples include antelopes, elephant,
zebra, goat and cows, lizards, birds, lions, e.t.c.
Adaptation of plants in the savanna
1. Some plants have rhizome or underground stem which helps them to withstand intense heat, fire
and dry season, e.g. spear grass.
2. Presence of broad and succulent trunk used for storing excess water.
3. Some trees like the Shea butter tree have heavy and thick barks which reduce transpiration, and
protect it from bush fires.
4. Possession of fewer branches bearing a smaller number of small- sized leaves and shedding of
leaves during the dry season.
Adaptation of animals in the savanna
1. Small animals like rat burrow into the soil to avoid excess heat of the sun and fire.
2. Some animals can camouflage and their presence among tall greenish- brown grass and trees will
make them undetectable to their predators or preys e.g. zebra and giraffe.
3. Animals like tiger and leopards have powerful jaws and teeth for attacking other animals.
4. Animals like elephant and lions move in groups or herds which enables them to achieve strength
in number.

Arid land or Desert habitat

Arid lands are areas of very low rainfall, receiving less than 250mm of annual rainfall, and high
evaporation rate. They are the driest habitats. The major arid lands are the tropical deserts, the warm
temperate deserts and the arctic tundra.
Characteristics of arid lands
1. Scarcity of water and low relative humidity
2. Extreme hot or cold temperatures
3. Poor/scarce vegetation
4. Presence of drought resistant plants
5. Presence of Oasis

Types of arid lands

There are two major types of arid lands. These are hot deserts and cold deserts.
1. Hot deserts- these are located on the western coast of the continent within latitude 15 0 and 300m
North and South of the Equator. Examples are the Sahara desert (North Africa, Arabian Desert
and Kalahari deserts (South Africa), e.t.c.
2. Cold deserts- these are located or found in the interiors of the continent around latitude 45 0- 600
North and south of the Equator. E.g. the desert found in the interior Eurasia and in Patagonia
(South America).
Distribution of plants and animals in an arid land
Plant species commonly found in hot deserts include drought resistant plants like thorny bushes, bulbous
cacti, and scattered dwarf acacia. Wiring grass, Euphorbia spp, etc
The common desert animals include spiders, scorpions, hare, fox, sand cat, e.t.c.
Adaptation of plants in arid land
1. Cactus is a leafless plant with prickles or thorns to reduce transpiration. It also has succulent stem
and side branches to store water for long drought.
2. Presence of deep roots which absorb underground water
3. Presence of waxy, hairy needle shaped leaves to help reduce the rate of transpiration as seen in
baobab.
Adaptations of animals in arid lands
1. Animals like camels can drink a lot of water to sustain it for several days hence withstand a wide
range of body temperature.
2. Some animals have scales which limit the rate of water loss from their body e.g. snakes and
lizards. Others like the snakes and frogs are able to camouflage with the sand.
3. Insects like locust have water proof bodes and impervious cuticles. They also produce dry waste
products e.g. uric acid to help them conserve water.