Ecology: Biology of Interaction. 5.04. Subenvironments and Adaptations to Them
By their importance for organisms, ecological factors can be divided into requisites (obligatory factors without which organisms cannot exist) and accessories (factors whose influence is not vital). Environmental context can also be analyzed as a set of relatively independent subenvironments requiring different adaptive complexes.
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5.03. Ecological Classifications of Ecological Factors
D. Shabanov, M. Kravchenko. Ecology: The Biology of Interaction Section 5. Autecology and Fundamentals of Environmental Science
5.05. The Most Important Factors in the Earth's Biosphere
5.04. Subenvironments and adaptations to them Does the environment represent a whole or consist of relatively independent blocks? Most likely, the latter assumption is correct. These blocks are often also simply called 'environments'. For example, one can speak of an intrapopulation environment (the totality of connections with other individuals in the population) or a biocenotic environment (connections with other species within an ecosystem). However, it is most likely that these parts, which make up the single ecological environment, are best called 'subenvironments' (from Latin 'sub' - under, below something). It should be emphasized that there is no universally accepted division of the environment into subenvironments, but a careful analysis of this issue probably allows for a better understanding of the nature of the connection between biosystems and what influences them. How many subenvironments should be distinguished within the complete ecological environment? There is probably no one-size-fits-all answer here. By analyzing the connections with the environment of different biosystems, we can distinguish a different number of relatively independent blocks. How to assess their independence? It makes sense to distinguish two different subenvironments if adaptation to each of them represents a complex of interconnected traits and is weakly related to adaptation to the other subenvironment. One possible list of subenvironments is as follows. 1. Biotopic environment. The totality of ecological factors significant for organisms, related to habitat, to inanimate nature. 2. Biocenotic environment. The totality of connections with organisms of other species (predators, prey, parasites, symbionts, etc.). 3. Population environment. The totality of connections with representatives of one's own species. The first three subenvironments are characteristic of representatives of most species. However, if we are talking about modern humans, three more subenvironments should be added to these three. 4. Social environment. The totality of external connections with society, including various institutions, the economic environment, career and other circumstances. If relationships with the immediate circle (relatives and friends) in humans represent a rather specifically transformed population environment, the broader social environment (relationships with the distant circle, interaction with certain social roles) is the prerogative of representatives of our species. 5. Cultural environment. The totality of culturally transmitted traits (i.e., properties of organisms that depend on learning). Rudiments of the cultural environment are characteristic of many other species, but only in humans does it acquire independence. We exist to a significant extent in the reality of ideas and thoughts rather than in the world of phenomena and processes. 6. Technical environment. Since relatively recent historical epochs, humans have increasingly interacted not with physical nature, not with other species of organisms, and not with other people, but with technology, which mediates and modifies these interactions. An interesting task is to compare adaptations to the listed six subenvironments (or another set of subenvironments). Additional materials: Column: Five environments of our life
5.03. Ecological Classifications of Ecological Factors
D. Shabanov, M. Kravchenko. Ecology: The Biology of Interaction Section 5. Autecology and Fundamentals of Environmental Science
5.05. The Most Important Factors in the Earth's Biosphere