1. Do people have a responsibility to animal and plant habitats? Dude… Where’s our habitat? Important Questions and Answers to Know! Ms. Enright

2. How could a new neighborhood affect an animal’s habitat? Habitats must provide four basic needs of living things: food, water, shelter, and space. New developments can impact first the space where an animal can live. As fewer animals try to inhabit the smaller space, there is greater competition for food, water, and shelter. As the competition worsens, often animals will venture into developed areas, sometimes getting hurt trying to cross roads. Eventually, animal populations can decrease, which means that fewer animals are born. Slowly this can cause an even greater reduction to the population.

3. What is happening in these cartoons?

4. What will happen to an organism if its habitat is manipulated or changed? Changes in a habitat are sometimes harmful and helpful to an organism. If an organism’s habitat is manipulated or changed, the animal must either adapt to the changes in the habitat, migrate to a new habitat, or the organism population will decrease.

5. Why is it important to protect the habitats of plants and animals? Georgia is home to more than 4,000 species of native plants and vertebrate animals. At least 10 % of these species are in danger of extinction. The chief factor in the loss of biodiversity in Georgia is loss or deterioration of habitats. The most significant factor contributing to the loss of plants and animals is the destruction of natural habitats. The rapid loss of native species populations is correlated with a rapidly increasing human population, rising consumption of natural resources, and technological advances that increase the rate of habitat destruction. Urban and suburban development has contributed greatly to habitat loss in Georgia.