Ecology: Biology of Interaction. 5.02. Classification of Environmental Factors by Origin
To describe and study environment, its properties are conventionally considered separately and called factors. An environmental factor is a specific characteristic, process, or property of surrounding environment that can potentially influence organisms; an ecological factor is one that actually influences the studied organism or population.
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5.01. Environment and ecological environment
D. Shabanov, M. Kravchenko. Ecology: The Biology of Interaction Section 5. Autecology and Fundamentals of Environmental Science
5.03. Ecological Classifications of Ecological Factors
5.02. Classification of environmental factors by origin To describe and study the environment, its properties are conventionally considered separately and called factors. If we accept the distinction between the concepts of environment and ecological environment, we can formulate the following definitions. Environmental factor – a separate characteristic of the environment, a phenomenon, process, or property that can potentially affect organisms in that environment. Ecological factor – a separate characteristic of the ecological environment, a phenomenon, process, or property that affects the studied organism or population. Environmental factors can be considered from two different points of view: physical and ecological. For example, from a physical point of view, climatic factors are studied by climatology, relief by geomorphology, soils by soil science, etc. From an ecological point of view, we are interested not in the nature of these factors, but in their impact on biosystems. 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 frequently used classification of factors, in which they are considered not from the point of view of their impact on organisms (ecologically), but according to their nature (physically; Table 5.2.1). Such a classification is primarily suitable for describing any habitat or area of the environment, whether it is 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 5.2.1. 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)
Soil composition, particle characteristics, etc.
Geographic (orographic)
Relief, geographic latitude, slope exposure, etc.
Biotic
Phytogenic
Related to the activity of plants
Zoogenic
Related to the activity of animals
Mycogenic
Related to the activity of fungi
Bacteriogenic
Related to the activity of bacteria
Anthropogenic
Related to the direct influence of humans as living beings
Anthropic
Technogenic
Caused by human activity to change 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 variant; it is easy to see that in this classification, the root '-genic' refers to factors belonging to the biotic ones. Another point of view, proposed here, is as follows: if only the group of anthropogenic factors is singled out, it should be attributed to the biotic ones. However, human influence is not limited to the manifestations of its biological nature. It has created a 'third nature' (alongside inanimate and living nature), the technosphere. Its impact is often more important than the direct influence of human beings. In addition, a significant part of the Earth'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 in the environment is not chaotic. Some factors change in an interconnected way, forming a so-called complex gradient (Latin gradiens – stepping). Moving along a complex gradient, we will observe a coordinated change in a whole complex of environmental factors. For example, complex gradients are formed by factors such as altitude above sea level, geographical latitude, or position within the ocean. The totality of abiotic factors within a homogeneous area is called a biotope, and the entire set of factors, including biotic ones, is called an ecotope.
5.01. Environment and ecological environment
D. Shabanov, M. Kravchenko. Ecology: The Biology of Interaction Section 5. Autecology and Fundamentals of Environmental Science
5.03. Ecological Classifications of Ecological Factors