Plants and the environment have an interactive relationship. The environment around plants provides sunlight, air, humidity, nutrients, appropriate temperatures and other conditions necessary for plant growth, and plant growth will impact the environment . /p >
The relationship between biology and the geographic environment is a dialectical and unified relationship. On the one hand, living things are products of the geographic environment, but they must rely on and adapt to the environment to survive and develop. On the other hand, living beings are the creators and transformers of the geographical environment.
1． The relationship between plant distribution and the environment
①The impact of the environment on plants
A. Light → light-loving plants and shade-loving plants. For example: most plants found in grasslandsand deserts, trees and shrubs growing on logging sites, artificially planted crops and fruit trees, etc., are all light-loving plants, including Pinus tabulaeformis, Larch and Platycladus orientalis. , acacia, paulownia, eucalyptus, etc. Shade-loving plants mainly grow under the forest, in sunny or shady places.
B. Equator → Poles: various vegetation zones, tropical rainforest belt - tropical grassland belt - monsoon rainforest belt - subtropical hard-leaved evergreen forest belt (subtropical hard-leaved evergreen forest belt) - temperate zone deciduous deciduous forest zone - temperate steppe zone - subarctic coniferous forest zone - boreal steppe zone.
C. Coast → Interior: Forest-Prairie-Desert
D. Buttress → Summit: Vertically distributed vegetation zonet, such as the vertical natural area of Mount Kilimanjaro. That is to say, "the beauty of April in the world has disappeared, and the peach blossoms in the mountain temple begin to bloom." It is the adaptation of plants to temperature.
②The indicator effect of plants on the environment
For example: the growth environment of aquatic plants-lotus (lotus). Because there is enough water during the growth process, it grows with large and tender leaves, but its roots are very superficial, while the camel thorn lives in desert areas and is a xerophytic plant; Due to the lack of water in the desert, the leaves of the camel thorn turn into fine thorns, and the roots are very deep, some up to ten meters deep, and the root system is very developed. This reflects the adaptability of individual plants to the environment or the fact that plants have an indicative effect on the environment.
A. Plants have an indicative role in climate, local agricultural period and agricultural activities. For example: “On May 9, I observed the willows along the river; on July 9 the river opened and on August 9 wild geese arrived. » “Before and after Grain Rain, I planted melons and beans. » 3rd, I took off my winter clothes and put on summer clothes. " "In the summer heat (the crops) do not show their heads, cut and feed the old cows", "Cold dew and frost fall, there are clothes to put on. on" and so on.
Another example is the subtropical tree species Quercus viridis: when the leaves turn red, there will be heavy rain in the area within a day or two After the rain passes and the weather clears, the leaves turn dark green again
The "dr.-shaped" tree.apeau" indicates the direction of the wind: in the northern hemisphere, the branches and leaves of trees growing alone are particularly luxuriant in the south and the veins sparse in the north; the leaves are thicker in the south and thinner in the north; depending on the age of the tree, the wheel is also sparse in the south and dense in the north
B. Plants serve as indicators for finding water sources in arid areas, such as thorns. camel in the desert. In arid desert areas, where plants are found, there must be water (groundwater or inland rivers)
C. the environment also has an indicative effect, especially in industrial areas with high pollution, plants are obviously polluted to varying degrees, such as corn leaves, fruit trees, vegetables, etc. >
2. The relationship between animals and the environment
Animals ont the following physical characteristics to adapt to the environment: those who live in cold places will have thick fur to prevent heat loss; the environment Similar colors, that is to say protective colors, like chameleons; pretending to be similar to the habitat in which they live, or imitating another insect, that is, mimicry, like leaf butterflies; that is, warning colors, such as glowing mushrooms, are toxic. Animals have the following methods of capturing their prey: cheetahs capture their prey quickly; Sea anemones' tentacles can secrete chemicals to sting passing fish. This is their method of hunting and self-protection.
3. The role of organisms in the geographical environment
① Fundamental role: plant photosynthesis. Plants absorb water and nutrientsfrom the environment and, under the photosynthesis of the sun, synthesize organic matter (turn into fruits), which are eaten by animals at all levels. At the same time, the straw of plants and animals is decomposed by microorganisms. after they die (the decomposition process is broken down by microorganisms) and finally returned to the environment to be reused by plants). One such process is the biological cycle. Biological cycles can promote the continuous migration and movement of materials and chemical elements in nature, as well as the continuous flow and transformation of energy, thereby linking the organic and inorganic worlds in the geographic environment.
②Modify the original atmospheric composition
③Participate in the water cycle and modify the composition of terrestrial water
④Influence the rock formation and the 'alteration
⑤Green plants Environmental benefitsenvironmental (purify air; regulate climate; conserve water sources, maintain soil and water; prevent wind and sand, protect agricultural land; eliminate smoke dust, filter air; reduce noise; beautify the environment, etc.)
On a warming planet, an animal's ability to adapt to climate change could mean the difference between survival and extinction.
Researchers have discovered that some species adapt by changing shape. Their bodies changed over time as global temperatures rose.
Changes in the body to cope with excessive heat loss. Warm-blooded animals such as birds and mammals have larger legs, tails and beaks, improving the way they regulate their body temperature.
Scientists have examined the size of the appendages of many speciesover time and discovered that birds like the North American black-eyed bulbul, songbirds, and several species of Australian parrots had smaller beaks. Something has changed. Birds use their beaks to dissipate heat and lower their body temperature. The larger the nozzle, the better the heat dissipation.
For Australian parrots, changes are small and occur over several generations, with an average increase of 4 to 10 percent since 1871. But beak size has increased in response to short-term temperature extremes, suggesting that more rapid changes were occurring.
Studies of mammals have found increases in body size in many different species. According to the study, wood mice have longer tails and legs that change depending on changes in the environment.
Allen's Law, proposed by American zoologist Joel Asaph Allen in 1877, predicted such an increase in size, suggesting that animals adapted to warmer climates are smaller than colder animals. Animals in the region have larger limbs and appendages. Endotherms, species including birds and mammals, keep their bodies at the right temperature by using their beaks or tails to dissipate heat.
Most of the dimensional changes noticed by the researchers were small, less than 10 percent, said Sara Ryding, co-author of the study. But these adaptations, sometimes subtle, are essential for the survival of organisms in the face of changes in their environment.
“Metamorphosis does not mean that animals are responding to climate change,” Ledding said. "It just means that they evolve to survive - but we don't know exactly what it is.is. What are the other ecological consequences, or even the ability of all species to change and survive?
Human-caused climate change is occurring too quickly for all species can do it. adapt. Research at Sweden's Lund University found that overheated blue tits had smaller chicks and their offspring may have a lower chance of survival.
Warmer temperatures on Earth will also lead to more extreme weather conditions, such as droughts, and a risk of wildfires that destroy forests and other habitats rich in species. According to the United Nations, one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction due to climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity. We are currently in the midst of the sixth mass extinction caused by human activity.
Some species can survive by changing their migration patterns to breed earlier (salmon) or adjusting their plumage for better camouflage and less snowfall (tawny owl ). But scientists say most species would have to evolve 10,000 times faster than normal to survive.
Ryding said that means thinking about animal survival as much as human survival when we talk about climate change.
"It's time we recognize that animals must also adapt to these changes, but this has happened over a much shorter period of time than most developments,” she said. “The climate change we are causing is putting a lot of pressure on them, and while some species will adapt, others will not.”