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Ecology: Key Environmental Factors

This document discusses the five main physical factors of the environment that influence living things: 1. Light is essential for photosynthesis in plants and penetration depth varies in water. Some organisms live without light. 2. Temperature affects whether organisms are cold-blooded with temperatures varying with the environment or warm-blooded with more constant temperatures. 3. Water is universally needed but organisms are adapted for aquatic or terrestrial environments. The water cycle involves continuous movement between the atmosphere and earth.

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Tristan Babaylan
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256 views2 pages

Ecology: Key Environmental Factors

This document discusses the five main physical factors of the environment that influence living things: 1. Light is essential for photosynthesis in plants and penetration depth varies in water. Some organisms live without light. 2. Temperature affects whether organisms are cold-blooded with temperatures varying with the environment or warm-blooded with more constant temperatures. 3. Water is universally needed but organisms are adapted for aquatic or terrestrial environments. The water cycle involves continuous movement between the atmosphere and earth.

Uploaded by

Tristan Babaylan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Intro to BioScience (Chapter 6)

INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY

Physical Environment
 5 Physical factors of the environment that constantly interact with the community of living things:
1. Light
- essential to all plants in photosynthesis
- in lakes, sunlight can penetrate as deep as seventy-five feet
- growth of algae on the surface may prevent the penetration of light in water
- some organisms are known to live in places where there is complete darkness
- many bacteria live without sunlight & die when exposed to light
- light conditions vary from place to place  deep valley, forest floors, shaded side, &
hills

2. Temperature
- an important controlling factor of the environment
- animals are classified into 2 types according to their body temperature:
a. poikilothermous (Cold-blooded)
 whose body temperature varies with the temperature of the environment
 the body temperature is not constant

b. homeothermous (warm-blooded)
 whose body temperature remains more or less constant regardless of the
temperature of the environment

3. Water and Water Cycle


- living things adjust to their environment to meet the universal need for water
- aquatic organisms have their bodies adapted for a life in water
- terrestrial organisms require less water and giving them more than what they need will
likewise kill them
- Rainfall – an important factor that controls the growth of these terrestrial forms
- Hydrophytes – plants live in water (completely or partially submerged)
- Mesophytes – plants found in neither wet nor dry environments
- Xerophytes – found in an almost waterless environment (deserts & semi-deserts)
- Water Cycle
 a continuous movement of water from the atmosphere to the earth and from the
earth back to the atmosphere
 precipitation – movement of water from the atmosphere to the earth in the form
of rain
 evaporation – movement of water from the earth to the atmosphere
 water vapor enter the atmosphere through transpiration from plants and by
evaporation from bodies of water and from the soil
 See diagram

4. Soil
- a factor of the environment that is more than dirt which covers the earth
- type of soil  (1) compact; (2) loose; (3) mixture
- classification of soil:
 sour soil is acidic and sweet soil is alkaline
 neutral soil which is midway between the two (sour & sweet soil) is ideal
5. Atmosphere
- the air around us which has an important direct effect on living things
- almost all living things need oxygen for life
- oxygen content decreases with depth & high altitude

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