Ecology is one of the main components of biology, which studies the interaction of the environment with organisms. The environment includes various factors of animate and inanimate nature. They can be both physical and chemical. Among the first can be called air temperature, sunlight, water, soil structure and its layer thickness. Factors of inanimate nature also include the composition of the soil, air and water-soluble substances. In addition, there are also biological factors - organisms that live in such a locality. They began to talk about ecology for the first time in the 60s of the last century; it arose from such a discipline as natural history, which was engaged in observing organisms and their description. Further, the article will describe the various phenomena that shape the environment. We will also find out what are the factors of inanimate nature.
general information
First, let's determine why organisms live in particular places. Naturalists asked this question during their exploration of the globe, when they compiled a list of all living things. Then two characteristic features were revealed that were observed throughout the territory. First, in each new area, new species are identified that have not been found previously. They replenish the list of officially registered. The second - regardless of the growing number of species, there are several basic types of organisms that are concentrated in one place. So, biomes are large communities that live on land. Each group has its own structure, in which vegetation dominates. But why in different parts of the globe, even located at a great distance from each other, can one meet similar groups of organisms? Let's get it right.
Human
In Europe and America, it is believed that man was created to conquer nature. But today it has become clear that people are an integral part of the habitat, and not vice versa. Therefore, society will survive only if nature is alive (plants, bacteria, fungi and animals). The main task of mankind is to preserve the Earth’s ecosystem. But in order to decide what should not be done, we need to study the laws of interaction of organisms. Inanimate factors are of particular importance in human life. For example, it is no secret to anyone how important solar energy is. It provides a stable course of many processes in plants, including cultural ones. They are grown by people, providing themselves with food.
Environmental factors of inanimate nature
In areas that have a constant climate, biomes of the same type live. What factors of inanimate nature do exist? Find out this. Vegetation is determined by climate, and the appearance of the community is determined by vegetation. The factor of inanimate nature is the sun. Near the equator, the rays fall vertically to the ground. Due to this, tropical plants receive more ultraviolet radiation. The intensity of the rays that fall at high latitudes of the Earth is weaker than near the equator.
The sun
It should be noted that due to the inclination of the earth's axis in different areas, the air temperature changes. Except the tropics. The sun is responsible for the temperature of the environment. For example, due to vertical rays, heat is constantly kept in tropical areas. Under such conditions, plant growth is accelerated. The temperature diversity affects the species diversity of a given territory.
Humidity
Inanimate factors are interconnected. So, humidity depends on the amount of ultraviolet received and on temperature. Warm air retains water vapor better than cold. During air cooling, 40% of the moisture condenses, dropping to the ground in the form of dew, snow or rain. At the equator, warm air currents rise, thin out, and then cool. As a result of this, in some territories, which are located near the equator, precipitation occurs in huge quantities. Examples include the Amazon basin, which is located in South America, and the Congo basin in Africa. Due to the large amount of rainfall, tropical forests exist here . In areas where air masses are absorbed north and south at the same time, and the air, cooling, again descends to the ground, deserts stretch out. Further north and south, in the latitudes of the USA, Asia and Europe, the weather is constantly changing due to strong winds (sometimes from the tropics, and sometimes from the polar, cold side).
The soil
The third factor of inanimate nature is the soil. It has a strong effect on the distribution of organisms. It is formed on the basis of destroyed bedrock with the addition of organic substances (dead plants). If the required amount of minerals is missing, the plant will develop poorly, in the future it may die at all. Soil is of particular importance in human agricultural activities. As you know, people grow various crops, which are then eaten. If the soil composition is unsatisfactory, then, accordingly, plants will not be able to get all the necessary substances from it. And this, in turn, will lead to crop losses.
Wildlife factors
Any plant does not develop separately, but interacting with other representatives of the environment. Among them are fungi, animals, plants, and even bacteria. The relationship between them can be very different. Starting from beneficial to each other and ending with a negative impact on a particular organism. Symbiosis is a model of interaction between various individuals. The people call this process the "cohabitation" of various organisms. Equally important in these respects are factors of inanimate nature.
Examples
Mutually beneficial and positive relationships can be considered the relationship between the roots of plants of the highest level and the mycelium of birch and birch, as well as aspen and aspen. Another example is nitrogen - fixing nodule bacteria and legumes. It is also necessary to isolate animals. A good example of this coexistence is the cow and mammals. A feathered individual lives in Africa. There, she spends almost her entire life near herbivorous mammals, pecking parasites from their skins. Thus, the bird is always full, and the animals are not tormented by pests. Facts of inanimate nature: light, water, habitat and nutrients - become a cause of competition in respect of environmental resources between individuals of certain species. What does it mean? In this case, only certain organisms have the ability to consume certain resources. An example of competition is the pine forest. Here trees of different ages "fight" for the light. Plants that grow rapidly, close the slow-growing plants access to the sun, which can provoke their death.
Interspecific competition
In the world there is a constant struggle between organisms of the same group with the same environmental requirements. For example, in a mixed forest, an oak can compete with a hornbeam. Different organisms can negatively affect each other due to the active substances that they secrete in water and air. These factors of inanimate nature can slow down the growth process of other plants or provoke the death of the organism in general. Caterpillar, broomrape, Peter cross - these are the most popular types of parasites among plants. Parasitic bacteria can cause illness of flora. For some animals, living plant tissue is food. Take, for example, rodents, ticks and various insects. All of them are considered herbivorous. On pastures, animals eat certain plants: they avoid bitter-tasting herbs and accurately determine which flora is poisonous. Or another example: ivy, wrapping around the trunk of its "victim", pulls all the juices out of it. But the orchid, located on the branches of trees, does no harm, using the plant as a habitat. In nature, everything is interconnected. And it must be protected, because it directly affects human activities.