North/south, highland/lowland, inland/coastal; all features of geography that can influence habitat.
Geographical factors play a major part in influencing habitat types; location will dictate climate and climate, along with geology, will play a major role in what species of plant and animal can survive there.
Relief:
Relief is a term used to describe the height and shape of land; a relief map shows the height of land by use of contour lines and colour shading. In general, higher ground is cooler than lower ground and some plants prefer cool conditions, others need warmth.
Aspect:
The direction slopes face has a major bearing on habitat formation. A north facing slope will have less light and be cooler than a slope with a southerly aspect. The Purbeck Ridge in Dorset, for example, has very different vegetation on its northern side than its southern side. The degree of slope can also be significant with steep valley sides forming differing habitat to that of flat areas towards the mouth of rivers. Steep slopes can also minimise human impact on habitats.
Longitude and Latitude:
The position of a site on the globe also has a profound effect on habitat. Southern Britain is somewhat warmer on average than northern Britain and temperature is important to plants and insects in particular. The north has much shorter days in winter and longer days in summer than the south and sun light is vital to the process of photosynthesis which is how plants grow. The west of Britain has higher rainfall than the east and that affects plant growth too. Sites close to the sea will be influenced by salt in water and in the wind; exposure to stronger winds will have an influence too causing soil erosion and structural damage to plants themselves.
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