microhabitat

Localized living space

A microhabitat is a small, localized environment within a larger habitat that has distinct conditions—temperature, moisture, light, or shelter—supporting particular organisms.

A rotting log, the underside of a rock, or a patch of moss each constitutes a microhabitat: The beetle thrives in the microhabitat beneath loose bark.

The term appears frequently in ecology and conservation biology.

locations

phytotelmata

ant-hillInsect colony's earthen dwelling
bird-nestAvian home structure
gallImpudent boldness or bitterness

ecology

niche

Recessed wall space

colonizationForeign territorial takeover
successionFollowing in order
adaptationFitting to new conditions

specialization · competition · coexistence · biodiversity · community · decomposition · symbiosis · predation · refugia · dispersal

components

substrate

Underlying supporting material

detritusLoose waste from decay
humusDecayed organic soil matter
moistureSmall amounts of liquid

humidity · pH · nutrients · shelter · porosity · shade · exposure

organisms

invertebrates

Animals without vertebral columns

arthropodsJointed-limb invertebrates
microorganismsMicroscopic living entities
fungiSpore-reproducing decomposers

algae · lichens · mites · springtails · nematodes · tardigrades · protozoa · bacteria · microfauna · decomposers

Categories

ecologyecosystem, balance, niche, food webs, food chain
ecosystemsrainforest, forest, desert, jungle, ocean
habitatsforest, ocean, lake, river, pond
ecology termsecology, biome, ecosystem, niche, biodiversity
Micromicrobe, microbes, microchip, microchips, microscope
microhabitatstree hollows, tide pool, rock crevices, leaf litter, rock pool

Opposites

spatial scale

microhabitatbiome

Major ecological community

macrohabitat · ecoregion · biosphere · ecosystem · landscape

Family

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