Environmental Factor affecting

Population

POPULATION ECOLOGY
LECTURE 09
 Lecture Outcomes

At the end of this lecture the student will be able to:

• Determine the different types of environmental factors.

• Distinguish between different a biotic factors and its affects in
population.
 Environmental Factor affecting
Population

 The environment of an organism has a physical (abiotic) and a biological (biotic)

component.

 The a biotic environment includes stable characteristics such as geology and

topography.

 Variable factors like climate, nutrient availability and wave action and occasional

disasters such as fire and volcanic eruptions.

 Environmental Factor affecting
Population

 The biotic environment involves the interaction of organisms and includes

aspects of competition, predation, herbivore, reproduction and dispersal.

 The abiotic and biotic components of the environment frequently interact in

complex ways.
 The composition of the physical environment.

The physical or abiotic environment experienced by an organism depends on several factors:

1. Geology (rock and soil types)

2. Topography (landscape)

3. World location(latitudinal light and temperature variation)

4. Climate and weather

5. Catastrophes( fire, earthquakes etc.)

 Some of these factors such as the geology and topography of an area are relatively stable.

 Other factors such as atmospheric conditions humidity, wind speed, temperature and sunlight, will be

very variable at one locality from one day or year to the next.
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Geology and soil

 The different rock types which form the geology of an area are the product of many long and
complicated processes.

 These include the effects of the movements of whole continents by a process called plate
tectonics .

 The geology of an area also influences the topography of the land.

 The inorganic components of soil are derived from rocks by weathering.

 Hence it is important which rock types are available in an area to produce the soil
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Geology and soil

 The types of the soil affect in the distribution of the organisms, for example,

lateritic soils often develop an impervious hardened surface which cause them to

become infertile and once the vegetation on them has died, erosion quickly

follows during the rainy season.

 This type of deposit, although bad news for farmers.

 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Topography

 Topography is the height and shape of the land

 It can play an important roll in the distribution of organisms.

 Even very small changes in topography can be significant.

 In heavy clay soils the shallow depressions in the woodland floor become
waterlogged after heavy rain and sometimes contain standing water, while the
sides and tops of ridges remain relatively dry.

 This produces distinct patterns of vegetation and also affect in the distribution of
animals..
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Light and temperature variation

 The Sun is the major source of light and heat on Earth.

 It is the variation of this solar energy which creates day and night and the
great changes in climate from the hot tropical forests and baking desert to the
freezing poles.
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Light and temperature variation

 Visible light is of the greatest importance to plants because it is necessary for

photosynthesis.

 Factors such as, quality of light, intensity of light and length of light period (day
length) are play an important rolls in an ecosystem.

 Also animals are affected by light, some animals active at night like bats and some active
around during the day like deer
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Temperature variation
 The distribution of plants and animals is greatly influenced by extremes in temperature for instance the
warm season.
Effects of temperature on Plants and animals
 Effect on metabolism
 Effect on reproduction
 Effect on fecundity
 Effect on Growth and Development
 Effect on crossing over
 Effect on sex-ratio
 Effect on coloration
 Effect on morphology
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Temperature variation

 For the plants:

 The occurrence or non-occurrence of frost is a particularly important determinant of plant

distribution since many plants cannot prevent their tissues from freezing or survive the
freezing and thawing processes.

 The opening of flowers during day or night is often due to temperature differences
between them.

 The seeds of some plants normally germinate in spring or summer after having been
through a period of low temperatures.
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Temperature variation

 For animals:

 Animals that maintain a fairly constant body temperature, are called endotherms
as, all birds and mammals.

 Animals which have a variable body temperature, are called exotherms as, most
reptiles, fish, amphibians and invertebrates.
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Temperature variation

 Some insects, birds, and mammals in warm humid climates bear

darker pigment than the races of same species present in cool
and dry climate.

 This phenomena is known as Gloger rule.

 This coloration is because of the melamine pigment present in the

skin, as the temperature increases the melamine pigment also
increases, thus, the organisms on the tropical and temperate
regions appear dark in colour as compared to organisms present
at poles.
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors
Temperature variation

 Temperature affects the absolute size of the animal

and relative proportions of various body parts

 For e.g. birds and mammals attain greater body size

in cold regions than in warm areas.

 Birds having relatively narrow and acuminate wings

tend to occur in colder regions, while in warmer
areas tend to be broader

 Temperature also affects the morphology of fishes

and is found to have some relationships with the
number of vertebrate.
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors
Climate and weather
Weather:

 The state of the atmosphere at a place and time in terms of precipitation, temperature,

humidity, wind, and pressure.

Climate:

 The average weather pattern taken over a long time, says 25 years, is called the climate of

the place.

 For example Rajasthan receives very little rainfall, so climate is hot and dry desert.

 The north-eastern India receives rain for a major part of year, therefore we can say the

climate of the north-east is wet.

 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors
Climate and weather

 Climate has a profound effect on all living organisms.

 Animal are adapted to survive in the condition in which they live.

 To live in different climatic region animals have special protecting features.

 Feature and habits that help animals to adapt to their surroundings are a result of
the process of evolution.
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors
Climate and weather

 For example: In the tropical rain forest because of the hospitable climatic
condition large numbers of plant and animals population are adapted such that
they eat different kinds of food to overcome the competition for food and
shelter.

 Living on the trees, development of strong tails, long and large beaks, bright
colors, sharp pattern, loud voice, diet of fruits, sensitive hearing, sharp eyesight,
thick skin , ability to camouflage in order to protect
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Wind

 Air in motion is called wind.

 It is important factor on flat plains , along seacoasts, at high altitude in mountains.

 It affects plants directly by increasing transpiration, by delivering heat to relatively

cool leaves, by causing various kinds of mechanical damage, and by scattering
pollens and dispersal of seeds and fruits.

 It affect animals direct (causes death) or indirect such as the animal’s avoidance of
an area.
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Catastrophes

 There are several a biotic events which can have a considerable effect on organisms , but
which occur infrequently and are not regular .

 These are catastrophic occurrences like volcanic eruptions , earthquakes , tidal waves and
floods , hurricanes and freak storms , fires, landslides and impacting meteors .

 All tend to cause loss of life to a greater or lesser extent and clearance of the existing
vegetation to some degree .

 Most of these are so infrequent and devastating that there is little an organism can do to
survive them .
 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Catastrophes

 Fire is , perhaps , the most frequently occurring catastrophe and , if it is not too fierce ,

some animals can shelter underground during the blaze and regeneration of vegetation

from root systems can occur .

 Some plants which grow where fire is fairly frequent have seeds which lie dormant until a

fire has passed and then germinate , so that even if the adults are killed . seedlings can

take their place in the cleared land .

 Eucalyptus and some pines are examples of this.

 Physical or abiotic environmental
factors

Catastrophes

 Because they are fairly infrequent , the importance of catastrophes in communities tends

to be over looked .

 Fire and high winds are probably both very important causes of plant death which allows

subsequent regeneration .

 Fire tends to clear ground vegetation , wind is more likely to affect trees . In tropical

rainforest , hurricanes may be far more important in creating gaps for growth of young

trees than the death of individual old trees in the canopy .

  Chapter 9 from the book:
◦ Chapman and M.J. Reiss
◦ Ecology: Principles and
Lecture references: Applications.
◦ Some electronic website

 By: D/ Dalia Gabr