<P> In ecology, a habitat is the type of natural environment in which a particular species of organism lives . It is characterized by both physical and biological features . A species' habitat is those places where it can find food, shelter, protection and mates for reproduction . </P> <P> The physical factors are for example soil, moisture, range of temperature, and light intensity as well as biotic factors such as the availability of food and the presence or absence of predators . Every organism has certain habitat needs for the conditions in which it will thrive, but some are tolerant of wide variations while others are very specific in their requirements . A habitat is not necessarily a geographical area, it can be the interior of a stem, a rotten log, a rock or a clump of moss, and for a parasitic organism it is the body of its host, part of the host's body such as the digestive tract, or a single cell within the host's body . </P>

What do you call the area that is inhabited by a particular species