Ecological Factors: Meaning, Classification & Factors

Ecological Factors: Ecology is the branch of biology that deals with the study of interactions between organisms and their environment. A major goal of ecology is to document and understand the consequences for life on Earth of human actions that are changing the biosphere. To reveal the exciting facts about the inter-relationship of living beings and ecological factors, we must know about different types of ecological factors.

Ecological Factors affect dynamic change in a population in a particular environment. It is important for humanity to understand the different types of ecological factors. In this article, we will provide detailed information on ecological factors.

Ecological Factors Definition

Ecological factors are environmental variables that impact organisms and contribute to their characteristic modes of behaviour. These factors cause dynamic changes in a population or species in a particular geographical region.

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What are the Types of Ecological Factors?

Fig: Types of Ecological Factors

Abiotic Factors

Abiotic factors are non-living factors that make up the environment of an organism. A biotope is a habitat with uniform environmental conditions that are characterised by a particular set of abiotic ecological factors. Abiotic factors can be classified into the following three categories:

1. Edaphic Factor: It is an abiotic factor related to the physical or chemical composition of the soil found in a particular region. Soil is the uppermost weathered layer of Earth’s crust. It is formed due to interactions among parent rock, climate, living organisms, time, and topography. The following properties of soil influence the growth of different types of vegetation:
a. The pH of the soil: Soil may be acidic, alkaline, or neutral. The pH value determines the availability of plant nutrients in the soil. The best soil for the cultivation of crops is loamy soil having a pH range between 5.5 to 6.8.
b. Soil Water: Soil water is more important than any other ecological factor as it is one of the inorganic substances required for photosynthesis. Capillary water held between spaces of soil particles is the most important form of water available to the plants.
c. Soil Temperature: Soil temperature plays an essential role in determining the geographical distribution of plants. Low temperature reduces the use of water and solute absorption by roots and vice-versa.
d. Soil Atmosphere (soil air): Soil contains several gases in the pores found between the soil particles. These gases mainly include oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water vapour.
e. Soil Organisms: Many organisms inhabit the soil, such as bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoans, nematodes, insects, earthworms, etc. These are called soil organisms. These organisms help in the aeration of soil, nitrogen fixation, and therefore affect the growth of vegetation. Besides this, soil organisms are also affected by the other physical and chemical properties of soil.
2. Topographic Factor: These factors are concerned with the surface features of the Earth. Topographic factors affect the climate of different regions. These factors include latitude, altitude, the direction of the mountain, the steepness of the mountain etc.
a. Latitudes and Altitudes: Latitudes represent the distance from the equator. Altitudes represent the height above sea level. These factors affect the temperature values, the velocity of wind, oxygen availability, light intensity. The temperature is maximum at the equator and minimum at the poles.
At high altitudes, the velocity of wind increases, air pressure and temperature decrease while the intensity of light and humidity increases. Because of these variations, vegetation at different altitudes varies, showing distinct zonation.

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Fig: Distribution of Vegetation in Different Latitudinal and Altitudinal Zones.

b. The Direction of Mountains: North and south faces of mountains possess different types of flora and fauna because they differ in certain climatic factors such as humidity, rainfall, light intensity, light duration, and temperature regions.
c. The Steepness of the Mountains: The steepness of the mountain affects the rainfall in a specific region and allows the rainwater to run off.  The loss of hilly areas causes water deficit and quick erosion of the topsoil that results in poor vegetation. On the other hand, the plains are rich in vegetation due to the slow drain of surface water and better retention of water in the soil.

Fig: Steepness of Mountain Affecting the Vegetation

3. Climatic Factors: These are abiotic factors that determine the climatic conditions of a particular geographical region. There are the following climatic ecological factors:
a. Temperature: Temperature determines the degree of hotness and coldness of a specific region. Temperature varies with latitudes. Temperature is maximum at the equator and decreases gradually towards poles. Since temperature is responsible for carrying out several enzymatic reactions in living beings, the biodiversity of different geographical regions (towards the equator or poles) varies with the temperature gradient.
b. Sunlight: Sunlight is the vast and natural source of energy on the Earth. Plants utilise sunlight to perform photosynthesis (conversion of solar energy into chemical energy). The energy gets passed on to the herbivores when they consume plants and plant products. In a similar way, a food chain continues from producers to herbivores and then to carnivores.
The intensity, quality, and duration of sunlight affect photosynthesis, germination, and flowering in plants. In comparison, these properties of light affect the hibernation period, migration, and reproduction in animals.
c. Atmospheric Pressure: It is the pressure exerted on the Earth’s surface. This pressure varies with the altitude. Variations in the atmospheric pressure affect the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide, respectively, for respiration and photosynthesis. The amount of oxygen is more at lower altitudes and gradually decreases towards the higher altitude. Hence affects biodiversity at different altitudes.
d. The Humidity of Air: Humidity refers to the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere. It affects the transpiration rate in plants and sweating in animals. This, in turn, affects the distribution of plants and animals on the Earth.
e. Water: Water is the basis of life for all organisms. Water is required for temperature regulation, osmoregulation, and other physiological activities. Rainfall is the main source of water on Earth. Rainfall majorly depends upon the geography of the area, velocity and the direction of the wind. Most of the rainfall occurs in the hilly region when clouds strike the mountains.  On the contrary, there is partial or no rainfall on the opposite side of the mountains. The areas with sufficient rainfall have epiphytes, while those with the scarcity of rain have xerophytic vegetation. Likewise, animals living in xerophytic regions are also adapted to conserve and store water.

Biotic Factors

All living beings constitute the biotic components of the ecosystem. Producers, consumers, and decomposers are the three main categories. Biotic factors include all the living beings interacting with each other and shape their environment. The interdependence is reflected in their interactions mainly for food, space, reproduction, and protection. These interactions among them are broadly classified into the following two categories:
1. Positive interactions
2. Negative interactions

1. Positive Interactions: These are beneficial interactions. Positive interactions can be classified as follows:
a. Mutualism: It is an association of two species in which both species are benefited. Mutualism is demonstrated by nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Rhizobium) living in root nodules of legumes. The bacterium fixes atmospheric nitrogen and makes it available to the plants and, in exchange, derives nutrition from the host plant.

Fig: A Nodulated Legume Plant Root with Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

In obligate mutualism, species are entirely dependent upon each other, and neither species can survive under natural conditions without the other—for example, algal and fungal components in lichens. The fungi provide protection to algae, and algae prepare food for the fungi.
In facultative mutualism, both the interacting species are not strictly dependent on each other. It can be illustrated with an example of a sea anemone, which gets attached to the shell of a hermit crab. The sea anemone attaches on the back of the crab, providing camouflage and protection to the carb, and in turn, the sea anemone is transported about reaching new food sources.

Fig: Crab and Sea Anemone Mutualism

b. Commensalism: It is a relationship between the two species where one species is benefited while the other neither benefited nor harmed. The species that derive benefit is called the commensal, while the other species is called the host. Commensalism can be demonstrated with the example of suckerfish and sharks. The suckerfish attached to the shark’s surface and dispersed to distant areas with a better food supply. In exchange, the shark does not get any benefit from the suckerfish.

Fig: Commensalism between Suckerfish and Shark

2. Negative Interactions: It is an association in which one species is benefited while the other is harmed. These can be classified as follows:
a. Predation: The interaction between the species involving killing and consuming prey is called predation. The species that eats the other is called predator, and the one consumed is called prey. The herbivore-carnivore interaction illustrates predation interaction in a food chain. Pitcher plants capturing insects is an example of the prey-predator relationship between plant and animal. The predators keep a check on the population size of the prey.

Fig: Pitcher Plant with Insect

b. Competition: It is an interaction between the two species where both suffer adverse effects, or both are harmed, known as competition. It occurs when the resources for survival are in short supply. Competition is basically of two types: i. Interspecific Competition (between individuals of different species) ii. Intraspecific Competition (between individuals of the same species).
c. Parasitism: It is an interaction of species in which one typically small organism (the parasite) lives in or on the larger species (host) to obtain nutrition. It also involves shelter, in addition to deriving nutrition.
Based on the host-parasite relationship, parasites are of two types, namely, holoparasite and hemiparasite. Holoparasites are total parasites that are dependent on the host for their complete nutrition. Cuscuta is a complete stem parasite of the host plant Acacia. The organisms that derive only water and minerals from their host plant while synthesising their own food by photosynthesis are called hemiparasites. They are also called partial parasites.
d. Ammensalism: It is an interaction in which one species is inhibited while the other species is neither benefited nor harmed. The inhibition is done by the secretion of certain chemicals called allelopathic substances. Amensalism is also called antibiosis. Penicillium notatum produces penicillin to inhibit the growth of a variety of bacteria.

Significance of Ecological Factors

The significance of ecological factors are as follows:

1. Ecological factors of different habitats help to develop mathematical models to relate the interaction of parameters and to predict their effects.
2. Ecological factors are related to the evolutionary development of organisms.
3. The distinct characteristics of plants and animals that empower them to be successful under a prevailing set of environmental conditions are called adaptation. Ecological factors play an important role in morphological, physiological, and behavioural adaptations in organisms according to their surroundings.

Summary

Ecology seeks to understand the connections between plants and animals and the world around them. Plants and animals constitute biotic ecological factors, and environmental conditions such as the surrounding temperature, water, sunlight, etc., constitute the abiotic ecological factors. Ecologists study interactions between organisms and their environment at different levels that provide information about the various benefits of ecosystems and how we can use natural resources in ways that leave a healthy environment for future generations. In this article, we learnt about various types of living and non-living ecological factors and their interactions and interdependence on each other.

FAQs on Ecological Factors

Q.1. What do you mean by the ecological factor?
Ans: An ecological factor is the environmental conditions that directly or indirectly affect the form and functioning of an organism.

Q.2. What are the two types of ecological factors?
Ans: The two broad categories of ecological factors are abiotic factors and biotic factors.

Q.3. What is the most important abiotic factor in an ecosystem?
Ans: The most important abiotic factors include sunlight, water, temperature, air, and soil.

Q.4. What is the simple definition of ecology?
Ans: Ecology is the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

Q.5. What are topographic factors?
Ans: The ecological factors that are concerned with the physical features of a geographical region are called topographic factors. Such as latitudes, altitudes, direction, and steepness of mountains.

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