ABIOTIC FACTORS

Abiotic factors are non-living physic-chemical factor of environment that affect an organism .In other words ,abiotic
factors make up the non-living part of the environment. For example, nettles grow well where there is a high
concentration of phosphate ions in the soil. Warm, humid concentration of phosphate ions in the soil and air
temperature and humidity are all abiotic factors .

It refers to a non –living condition or thing as climate or habitat that influences or affect an ecosystem and the
organism in it .Abiotic factors can determine which species of organisms will survive in a given environment. It is the
non- living parts of the environment that can often have a major influence on living organisms. Abiotic factors affect
population size by affecting intraspecific competition. For example, if water is limited in a particular area, the
population will compete for water, and some of the organisms might die.

Common abiotic factors are wind, rainfall, water, the composition of the atmosphere, minerals in the soil, sunlight,
temperature and elevation above sea level. Abiotic factors include such influences as light radiation(from the sun),
ionizing radiation (cosmic ray from outer space), temperature (local and regional variations), water (seasonal and
regional distributions), atmospheric gases, wind, soil (texture and composition), and catastrophic disturbances. These
latter phenomena are usually unpredictable and infrequent disturbances such as fire, hurricanes, volcanic activity,
landslides and major floods, may drastically alter the environment of an area and thus change the species
composition and activity patterns of the inhabitants. Abiotic factors that affect atmospheric conditions are light, air,
temperature, moisture and wind.

WIND

Air in motion is called wind. Speed of wind is called wind velocity. It affects both plants and animals in following :

1. Strong winds cause soil erosion.

2. These cause lodging of plants.
3. These increase the rates of evaporation and transpiration leading to desiccation which cause dwarfism in the
plants.
4. These help in pollination in the anemophillous gymnosperms and angiospermic plants.
5. Wind helps in dispersal of many seeds, fruits, cysts, spores, eggs.
6. Unidirectional winds stimulate the development of flag trees on hill tops and sea shore.
7. These also help in migration of flying animals.
8. Salt sprays. Wind, moving from sea to land, carries thin film of salt which is sprayed on the coast vegetation.

Thermal Factor (Temperature)

Temperature is the degree of hotness or coldness of a substance. It is the important (critical) ecological factor
affecting almost all the metabolic activities of the organism. Every physiological function has an optimum
temperature at which it shows the maximum metabolic rate. The vertical temperature gradient over earth’s surface
is called lapse rate.

Effects of temperature on animals

Temperature affects the animals in the following ways through affecting the kinetics of enzymes:

1. Reproduction. In animals ,the maturation of gonads and activity of spermatogenic tissue are also
temperature dependent, which varies from species to species
2. Growth and Development. In Ostrea virginea ,the length of body increases from 1.5 to10.3mm with an
increase in temperature from 10 to 20 ℃ .
3. Thermal tolerance. On this basis, animals are divided into following categories;
(i) Eurythermal Organisms. These can tolerate a wide range of temperature fluctuation.
(ii) Stenothermal Organisms. These can tolerate only a small range of temperature variation.
 (iii) Mesothermal Organisms. Organisms living at high summer temperature and low winter temperature.
(iv) Microthermal. Organisms living at moderate summer temperature and low winter temperature.
(v) Megathermal. Organisms living at high temperature
4. Metabolism. Temperature fluctuations have a remarkable effect on metabolism mainly due to acceleration of
enzymes–controlled chemical reactions.
5. Thermal Regulation. Different living organisms tide over very low or very high temperature condition
differently:
(i) Encystment. It involves the formation of a hart and chitinous protective coat, called cyst , around the
body
(ii) Periodic activity. Some animal Warm up their body by basking in the sun during day.
(iii) Cyclomorphosis. It is characterized by change in body shape with seasonal temperature change.
(iv) Thermal migration. It involves the shorter or longer journeys undertaken by animal so as to resist the
temperature extremes.
(v) Thermoregulation and homeostasis. The birds and mammals have constant body temperature and are
called homeothermal or endothermic or warm blooded animals to deal with temperature extremes.
(vi) Behaviour. Temperature changes also induce certain behavioural patterns.
6. Variation. Altenberg and Muller showed that increase in temperature increases the chances of crossing over
in Drosophila melanogaster.
7. Sex ratio. In some animals ,sex ratio is affected by temperature.

Effect of Temperture On The Physiology Of Plants

1. Metabolism. All metabolic reactions are controlled by enzymes and the activities of enzymes are affected by
temperature. Thus, the temperature above or below the optimum for a chemical reaction decreases the rate
of physiological activity.
2. Transpiration. The rate of transpiration increases with rise in temperature. Extremely high temperature, if
prolonged, may cause water stress to plants.
3. Mineral absorption and water uptake. Active absorption of minerals is affected by temperature because the
energy required for this process is temperature dependent. At low temperature, the nutrients remain tightly
bound to soil so more energy is required for their absorption. Low temperature increases the viscosity of
water and remain tightly bound to the soil.
4. Reproduction. Flowering in plants is also affected by temperature, the phenomenon studied as
thermoperiodism.
5. Vernalization. Many species of plants require low temperature treatment for seed germination and
flowering, a phenomenon known as vernalization.
 Altitudinal zones. As many as four temperature based terrestrial altitudinal zones are differentiated in
Himalayas, each having specific vegetation type: alpine, temperate, tropical and subtropical zones.