Question 12: List the various abiotic environmental factors.
Class 12 - Biology - Organisms and Populations Page 240
Answers
Temperature
Water
Light
Soil
Answer:
Abiotic environmental factors are formed by all the non-living components of an ecosystem which includes the following:
Temperature –
It is one of the most significant factors which varies seasonally on land, progressively decreases from the equator towards the poles, from plains to the mountain tops.
Water –
Life cannot sustain without water. For marine entities, pH, water temperature, chemical composition etc is significant. It is also affected by water salinity that is less than 5 parts per thousand in inland water, 30-35 parts per thousand in sea etc
Euryhaline are entities which can bear a wide salinity range whereas stenohaline are entities that can tolerate a narrow range of salinity. Most of the fresh water animals cannot sustain in sea water for long due to osmotic issues that arise due to high salinity and vice-versa
Soil –
Properties and nature of soil varies from place to place, depending on the following factors
-climate
-soil development process
-Weathering process
Characteristics such as grain size, aggregation, soil composition determine the water holding capacity and percolation of soil. Along with these, some other features such as pH, topography, mineral composition etc determine the type of type of plant that can grow in a specific habitat.
Light –
All autotrophs depend on light to carry out photosynthesis, releasing oxygen during the process. In forests, small herbs and shrubs are adapted to photosynthesis under very low light intensities as they are overshadowed by tall trees.