Ecology: Biology of Interaction. V-04. Subenvironments and Adaptations to Them

V-4. Sub-environments and adaptations to them Is the environment a single whole or does it consist of relatively independent blocks? Most likely, the latter assumption is correct. These blocks are often also simply called "environments"; one can speak of an intrapopulation environment (the set of connections with other individuals in the population) or a biocenotic environment (connections with other species within an ecosystem). However, it seems that these parts, which make up the complete ecological environment, are most correctly called "sub-environments" (from Latin sub - under, below something). It should be emphasized that there is no generally accepted division of the environment into sub-environments, but a careful analysis of this issue will likely allow for a better understanding of the nature of the connection between biosystems and what influences them. How many sub-environments should be distinguished within the complete ecological environment? Apparently, there can be no one-size-fits-all answer. By analyzing the connections with the environment of various biosystems, we can distinguish a different number of relatively independent blocks. How to assess their independence? It makes sense to distinguish between two sub-environments if the adaptation to each of them is a complex of interconnected traits and is weakly related to adaptation to the other sub-environment. One possible list of sub-environments is as follows. 1. Biotopic sub-environment. The set of ecological factors important for organisms, related to their habitat, to inanimate nature. 2. Biocenotic sub-environment. The set of connections with organisms of other species (predators, prey, parasites, symbionts, etc.). 3. Population sub-environment. The set of connections with other individuals in the population. The first three sub-environments are characteristic of representatives of most species. However, if we are talking about modern humans, three more should be added to these three sub-environments. 4. Social sub-environment. The set of external connections with society, including various institutions, the economic environment, career and other circumstances. If human relationships with their close circle (relatives and friends) are rather a specifically transformed population sub-environment, the broad social sub-environment (relationships with the distant circle, interaction with certain social roles) is a prerogative of representatives of our species. 5. Cultural sub-environment. The set of culturally transmitted traits (i.e., properties of organisms that depend on learning). Rudiments of a cultural sub-environment are characteristic of many other species, but only in humans does it acquire independence. We exist to a large extent in the reality of ideas and thoughts rather than in the world of phenomena and processes. 6. Technical sub-environment. Starting from relatively recent historical epochs, humans increasingly interact not with physical nature, not with other organisms, and not with other people, but with technology, which mediates and changes these interactions. An interesting task is to compare adaptations to the listed six sub-environments (or another set of them).