1B What makes up an environment

What makes up an environment?

The word environment refers to the conditions surrounding

an ecosystem, or a community of living things. These conditions include
many factors: the climate and temperature of an area, what type of soil
there is, how much water is available and what animals, among other
things, live there. The factors affecting the environment fall into four main
categories: biotic processes, geomorphic processes, hydrologic
processes and atmospheric processes. Often, these processes are closely
related and can even overlap.

Biotic processes are those involving living organisms. Living organisms affect the environment
as they decompose dead material, eat plants and other animals, absorb sunlight, excrete waste
products, secure soil with roots, dig up soil, and breathe. Different living organisms have different
effects on an environment, for example, the roots of plants can help anchor the soil, while burrowing
animals like rabbits can move it around. The different proportions of plants and animals in different
environments can affect the environment as a whole.

Geomorphic processes are processes that shape the land. This includes the processes
of weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition. Weathering is when rocks are broken apart
by mechanical, chemical or biotic means. Erosion is the way that water and wind wear on rocks. This
leads to transportation, which is when wind and water pick up particles of rock and soil. This material
can then be left farther away. The specific effects of these processes differ from environment to
environment.

Hydrologic processes refer to the way that water affects an environment. Plants and animals need
water to survive, so the availability of water has an effect on what kinds of organisms can live there.
Water collects in rivers, ponds and lakes and fills the oceans. Water can exist in many forms: as vapor
in clouds; as liquid water on the surface of the planet; and as ice.

Atmospheric processes are what happen in the air. This includes weather patterns, climate and
wind. Much of the weather that we experience is guided by large-scale processes that happen high in
the atmosphere. These processes affect the local environment by regulating the amount of water
available for plants and animals.