illustrate the relationship between physical environment and living organisms
Answers
Answer:
Organisms and Their Environment. Ecology is the study of the interaction of organisms in an area with the surrounding environment. This interaction constitutes an overall adaptation of the organisms to their environment which also includes the continuity of species.
Explanation:
Answer:
Relationship between organisms and their environment are based on certain principles which are summarized as follows:
1. Everything influencing the life processes of an organism constitutes its environment.
2. Environment in a habitat may be considered into biotic and abiotic components and the activities of the organisms are influenced by the combined effects of various environmental factors.
3. An organism is a biotic component of the environment and the materials and energy required for the maintenance of the body and sustenance of life of organisms constitute the abiotic environment.
4. An organism cannot exist in vacuum.
5. Life is the energy exchange process between the organism and environment and death means cessation of the exchange process.
6. The environmental requirements of different organisms differ from individual to individual and also with age and need.
7. Life activities are influenced by that environmental component which occurs in minimum quantity. This is Liebig’s law of limiting factor. Liebig stated that the growth of a plant is dependent on the amount of the food stuff which is presented to it in minimum quantity.
8. Life activities of an organism are influenced by the minimum or maximum quantity of the environmental components or factors, as for example, nutrients, light, temperature, moisture Based on this principle Shelford founded the law of tolerance.
9. Tolerance limits of an individual for different environmental factors may be different.
10. An organism may show different tolerance limit for a particular environmental factor in different habitats and at different age and stage of life history.
11. Organisms having wide tolerance limits for many environmental factors are widely distributed.
12. An organism is a product of nature (genetic set-up) and nurture (environmental upbringing). The inherited qualities are unfolded in proper environment.
13. Organisms react with the external stimuli caused by the environmental changes. The reactions may be exhibited by movements (migration) or adaptational changes in the body or physiological activities. All such adaptations have survival value.
14. Widely distributed species are adapted to various habitat conditions by evolving ecotypes.
15. Every habitat has potential to support a certain number of organisms. This is known as carrying capacity of the habitat. Knowledge of carrying capacity is essential for proper management of the habitat.