Habit (biology)

Habit, when used in the context of biology, refers to the instinctive actions of animals and the natural tendencies of plants.

In zoology, this term is used most often to describe where an animal spends most of its life cycle. Habit may also refer to specific behavioral characteristics, even when directly related to physiology. For example:

*The spider monkey has an arboreal "habit" and rarely ventures onto the forest floor.

*The brittlestar has the "habit" of breaking off arms as a means of defense

In botany, the term is used most often to describe the general appearance, growth form, or architecture, of a plant. For example:

*Many species of maple have a shrubby "habit" and may form bushes or hedges rather than trees.

*Many alpine plants have been chosen for cultivation because of their dwarf "habit"

References

* [http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?FILTER=col65&query=habit The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05]
* [http://biology-online.org/dictionary/Habit Biology-Online.org]