Environmental Factors

In the microbial world (and the non-microbial world, too!) competition is strong, and resources are limited. It can undoubtedly mean reduced competition for those microorganisms willing and able to adapt the tough environment. So, what factors influence microbial proliferation in the environment? The key ones include temperature, pH, oxygen, water activity, radiation, pressure, and nutrient deficiency. We’ll go over metabolism in further detail later.

Environmental Factors

Any element that has the potential to modify an existing environment is referred to as an environmental factor. This includes both human causes such as non-biodegradable garbage and natural forces such as the weather. One thing about the environment that is always true is that it is always changing. Some of these changes are evident, such as an avalanche that occurs on the slope of a mountain as a result of traffic building, while others, like sand finally becoming sandstone, are less so.

Water is one of nature’s most powerful forces. Rivers have carved out massive landforms like the Grand Canyon through time, and waves from ocean have eroded cliff faces, leaving behind beaches of shells and smaller boulders. Cliffs break into boulders as water freezes in crevices, and boulders shatter into smaller stones.

Another tough force to avoid is the wind. It uproots trees, but it also helps saplings to spread out in their habitat, allowing them more area to flourish. Lightning storms clear out trees, generating new area for seedlings, in a similar way to fire.

Humans produce a wide range of environmental effects when they enter a habitat, and one of the most ironic occurs if people feed human food to wild animals. This develops a sense of dependency and impairs the ability of animals to forage on their own.

Environmental Factors Examples

Soil, climate, water, natural vegetation, and landforms are examples of environmental elements. Everything which alters the environment is considered an environmental factor. Some aspects are apparent, while others are not. Just the effects of environmental change are visible in some cases. Environmental variables can have a direct or indirect impact on living beings.

Water covers the majority of the earth’s surface, and the majority of it is saltwater. Water is a need for all living things; life cannot exist without it. Fish and other aquatic animals cannot live without water. Several activities on Earth, like earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes, have an impact on the existence of living beings. The term “landform” is used to describe the various types of land. Landforms are distinguished by their location, size, composition, and shape. Climate refers to a location’s long-term weather conditions. Antarctica, for example, is constantly frigid, while South Asia is always hot. Animals that live in many climates are built to withstand extreme weather.

To survive in freezing climates, polar bears have thick fur. Wind is an environmental factor which has an impact on things like plant pollination. Several environmental elements have an impact on things like climate, depending on their intensity.

Environmental Factors that affect Gene Expression

The environment, which encompasses both the exterior world where the organism is develops, and also the internal world organism, which includes elements like hormones and metabolism, can influence gene expression in an organism. Gender, as with sex-influenced and sex-limited features, is a primary internal environmental factor that influences gene expression. Similarly, medications, temperature, chemicals, and light are examples of external environmental stimuli that can influence how an organism develops and functions by determining which genes are switched on and off.

Drugs and Chemicals

The presence of chemicals or drugs in the environment of an organism can also have an impact on gene expression. Cyclops fish are a striking example of how a chemical in the environment can impact development. C. R. Stockard, a researcher, generated cyclopean fish embryos in 1907 by combining fertilised Fundulus heteroclitus eggs with 100 mL saltwater and approximately 6 g magnesium chloride. Normally, F. heteroclitus embryos have two eyes; however, half of the eggs put in the mixture of magnesium chloride produced one-eyed embryos in this experiment (Stockard, 1907).

Temperature

Temperature, in addition to medications and chemicals, are external environmental factors which can alter gene expression in specific organisms. Himalayan rabbits, for example, have the C gene, which is essential for the formation of colours in the fur, skin, and eyes and is controlled by temperature (1913, Sturtevant). The C gene, in particular, is dormant above 35°C and maximum active between 15°C and 25°C. Rabbits with a particular coat colour are produced as a result of this temperature regulation of gene expression. The gene is dormant in the heated, central portions of the rabbit’s body, and no pigments are generated, resulting in white fur.

Conclusion

An environmental factor is any aspect that has the capacity to change an existing environment.

Water is one of the most powerful forces of nature.

Environmental factors include soil, climate, water, natural vegetation, and landforms. Everything that has an impact on the environment is referred to as an environmental factor.

Temperature and light are external environmental factors which can alter gene expression in particular organisms