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Module 1 : COMPARING LAND WITH WATER AS A

HABITAT
The following are important points that should be kept in mind in comparing
land and water as a habitat. Based on what you can remember in your discussions
before on water habitats, discuss the following points about terrestrial environments
as compared to water environments. Write your answers on the space provided in
every after item.
1. Moisture itself becomes a major limiting factor on land.
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2. Temperature variations and extremes are more pronounced in the air than in
the water.
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3. The rapid circulation of air throughout the globe results in a ready mixing and
a remarkably constant content of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
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4. Although soil offers solid support, air does not.

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5. Land, unlike the ocean, is not continuous; there are important geographical
barriers to free movement.
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6. The nature of the substrate, although important in water, is especially vital in

terrestrial environments. Soil, not air, is the source of highly variable nutrients.
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In summary, we may think of climate (temperature, moisture, light, etc.) and

substrate as the two groups of factors which together with population interactions
determine the nature of terrestrial communities and ecosystems.