Environment

There are many different types of environment – desert, forest, grassland, tundra and estuary.

Environment includes all the factors that affect the growth, development and survival of organisms.

Physical factors

· Amount of light

· Temperature

· Amount of water

· Type of soil

Other factors

· Availability of food

· Other organisms that compete for food

· Other organisms that cause diseases

· Presence of predators

The way all the factors in an environment interact determines which organisms can live in that environment.

Ecology is the interactions of organisms with one another and with the environment in which they occur.

The factors that affects the environment are:

· sunlight

· temperature

· Rainfall

· climate

· soil conditions

o loamy, clayey and sandy

· presence of other organisms

o disease causing, prey, predator

Changes in the environment can be natural or influenced by humans.

Plants and animals in the environment must adapt to the changes in the environment or they will extinct.

Pollution is a change in the environment that can influence health, survival or activities of organisms.

A group of organisms of the same kind is known as the population.

When different groups of organisms live together, they form a community.

A habitat is a special place where the organisms live and grow together.

An animal needs food, water, shelter and a place to raise its young. If the habitat is not suitable, it will move to a better habitat.

Animals use plants for shelter and for food, while plants depend on the animals to carry their pollen and to disperse their seeds.