Екологія: біологія взаємодії. V-02. Класифікація факторів довкілля за їх походженням

V-2. Classification of environmental factors by origin. For the environment to be described and studied, its properties are conditionally considered separately and called factors. If we consider the concepts of environment and ecological environment as different (see V-1), we can provide the following definitions. Environmental factor - a separate characteristic of the environment (surroundings), a phenomenon, process, or property that can potentially affect biosystems within that environment. Ecological factor - a separate characteristic of the ecological environment, a phenomenon, process, or property that affects the studied biosystem (organism, population, etc.). The potential number of factors that can be identified when describing the environment is infinite. Depending on the research goals, different classifications are used. First, we will consider a common classification of factors, in which they are considered not from the perspective of what they affect, but from the perspective of where they originate (Table V-2.1). Such a classification is primarily suitable for describing any habitat or area of the environment, for example, a field where a particular agricultural crop can be grown, or a planet considered as a potential environment for the existence of the biosphere. Table V-2.1. Classification of environmental factors by origin.

Group	Subgroup	Examples
Abiotic	Climatic	Temperature, humidity, solar radiation, precipitation, wind, etc.
	Chemical	Composition of atmosphere, aquatic medium, and soil solution
	Soil (edaphic)	Composition of the soil, the nature of the particles, water-holding capacity and so on
	Geographic (orographic)	Relief, geographic latitude, slope exposure, etc.
Biotic	Phytogenic	Connected with the life activity of plants
	Zoogenic	Connected with the life activity of animals
	Mycogenic	Connected with the life activity of fungi
	Bacteriogenic	Connected with the life activity of bacteria
	Anthropogenic	Connected with the life activity of people, their direct influence as living beings
Anthropic	Technogenic	Caused by human activity that transforms the abiotic environment
	Agrogenic	Caused by impacts of human agricultural activity

It should be noted that the three main groups of factors in this classification are often called "abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic." This is an unfortunate choice; it is easy to see that in this classification, the root "genic" refers to factors related to biotic ones (Fig. V-2.1). Fig. V-2.1. The concepts we use in classifying factors reflect our understanding of our place in the worldview. Another idea proposed here is that if only the group of anthropogenic factors is singled out, it should be attributed to biotic factors. However, human impact is not limited to manifestations of its biological nature. It has created a "third nature" (alongside inanimate and living), the technosphere. Its impact is often more significant than the direct impact of human beings. Furthermore, a significant part of our planet's territory is occupied by artificial ecosystems (agrosystems), which are inhabited by plants and animals modified by humans. Thus, gathering forest berries is an example of anthropogenic factors, the impact of radionuclides dispersed after a nuclear power plant accident is technogenic, and the silting of a lake due to runoff from a farm is agrogenic. The variability of factors is not chaotic. Some factors change in coordination, forming so-called complex gradients (Latin gradiens - stepping). Moving along a complex gradient, we will register a coordinated change in a whole complex of environmental factors. For example, complex gradients are formed by factors such as altitude above sea level, geographic latitude, or position within the ocean. The set of abiotic factors within a homogeneous area is called a biotope, and the entire set of factors, including biotic ones, is called an ecotope.