Abiotic Factors

• Physical and chemical properties

of the enviroment – temperature,

water and humidity, light

• Subgroup of ecological factors

Temperature

• Considering the body temperature, animals

can be:

– Poikilothermic or ectothermic

– Homeothermic or endothermic

– Heterothermic

Poikilothermic or ectothermic animals

• Variable body temperature – depends on the

enviroment

• Often change body temperature

• Fish, reptiles, invertabrates,

amphibians

Homeothermic or endothermicanimals

• Constant body temperature

• Birds (38-42°C) and mammals (36.9°C)

• To mentain their body temperature they have:

– Feathers and hair

– Fat tissue

– Developed cardiovascular

system

Heterothermic

• Depending on their needs, they can turn on

endothermy or ectothermy

• Changes occur on a daily or on an annual basis

• Some bugs, birds and

bats

Diapauses

• State of animal dormancy, in which an

organism uses its fat reserves to survive

• Amphibians, reptiles and insects

Aestivation

• State of animal dormancy, characterized by

inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate

• Used to survive high temperatures and

drought• Snails, amphibians and

rodents• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd_uqpAE

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Moulting

• Change of feathers by birds or change of hair

by mammals

• Preparation for new

weather conditions

Hibernation

• State of animal dormancy, characterized by

inactivity, lowered body temperature and

lowered metabolic rate

• Hedgehogs, dormouses,

raccoons, bats and

some marsupials

Plant Dormancy

• Seeds – dormant until temperature, humidity

and light are ”just right”

• Trees:

– deciduous plants lose their leaves

– evergreens stop all new growth

Migrations

• Some animals avoid cold weather by

migrationg to warmer areas

• Whales, bats,

some fish,

butterflies and

some birds

Body Temperature

• Affects basal metabolism – bigger animals

have slower metabolism

• Extreme values affect enzymes which controll

important chemical processes within an

organism

Water and humidity - Xerophytes

• Plants which adapted to low water and

humidity enviroments by growing small hairs

on their leaves (prickly saltwort) or by

covering them with wax (laurel)

• Olive

Mesophytes

• Transitional form from xenophytes to

hygrophytes

• Most decidous

trees – oak, beech

Hygrophytes

• Inhabit moist woods and meadows

• Leaves with

many stomata

• Canes, sedges,

spearworts

Hydrophytes

• Plants whose vegetational parts live

underwater, float on water or are partially

submerged in water

• Rice, lotus

Animal adaptations to water loss

• Bugs – chitin shell• Reptiles – scales• Desert camel:– thick hair – sun protection– hump – fat tissue, can contain up to 49 liters of

water– Can drink 90 liters of water in 10 minutes

Light

• Diurnal animals – active during daylight

– Cheetahs, snakes

• Nocturnal animals – active at night

– Bats, owls

Light

• Olms are fully adapted to life in absolute darkness– Stunted eyes– No pigment

Echolocation

• ”Looking with ears”

• Sonar principle

• Bats emit sound signals which bounce from

their surroundings and enter their ears, and

this is how they evaluate distance

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p08Y0oRA

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