Populations Live in Habitats

Part of the Ecology Disrupted Curriculum Collection.

Turtle in its muddy habitat

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Populations Live in Habitats teacher's guide

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TEACHER'S GUIDE

  1. Introduce the ecological principles of habitats and populations
  2. Connect the principles to this case study about bighorn sheep

Habitat and Populations

A habitat is an environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organisms. To reinforce the concept of habitat it is important for the students to understand that there is often a relationship between the health of the habitat and a species population size. The healthier the habitat, the more the population will flourish.

Note:  Sometimes degraded habitats are no longer hospitable to native populations, but invasive species may move in a flourish.

Discussion

Key Idea: Populations live in specific habitats.

Question: What is habitat?
Answer: The environment where a population/organism lives.

Question: What is the habitat for bighorn sheep?
Answer: Mountaintops in the Nevada and California desert.

Question: What is a population?
Answer: A population is a group of the same species that lives in the same area.

Question: How are bighorn sheep populations defined?
Answer: By their mountaintop habitat.