Now that you have the basics down, we can look more deeply at the habitats, communities, populations, and ecosystems. Coastal habitats are found where land meets the ocean. Coastal habitats contain very important ecosystems. To learn more about coastal Louisiana we have broken this level into four different habitats: salt marshes, mud flats/oyster reefs, bays, and barrier islands. You’ll soon learn the defining factors of each of these habitats are the amount of salt in the water (salinity), strength and amount of currents or wave action, how much time they are exposed to air, and the type of soil or sediment found at that location. Habitats are places where an organism (or population of organisms) lives. An organism’s habitat will have all the conditions the organism needs to survive. All living things need air, food, shelter/protection from predators, and the ability to find mates for reproduction.