Glossary of Ecology - H

H

• habitat - Specific ecological or environmental areas that are inhabited by specific plants and animal species.
• habitat connectivity - Allowing for the conservation or maintenance of continuous or connected habitats, so as to preserve movements and exchanges associated with the habitat.
• habitat corridors - a strip of land that helps with the movement of a species between disconnected areas of their natural habitat.
• habitat fragmentation - a process of environmental change that involves the discontinuations, or fragmenting, of a species' natural habitat.
• homeostasis - the property of a system that regulates the internal environment and maintains a constant and stable condition. ex: endothermic animals maintain a constant body temperature.
• host - an organism that has another organism on or in itself
• human ecology - a field of study that deals with relationships between humans and their societies; their natural, social, and created environments.
• hydrologic cycle - the cycle or process of evaporation and condensation of water, and its distribution across the earth driven by solar energy
• hydrosphere - the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere
• hydrothermal vent - an underwater steaming fissure that has unique ecosystems.