Limiting factors and their impact on living organisms

Limiting factors are the agents, the quantitative values ​​that go beyond the adaptive capacity of living organisms, thus limiting their distribution in the territory.

So, limiting environmental factors influence the geographical area of ​​distribution of various kinds, can provoke limit their growth or even death of the shortage of certain substances, as well as their excess.It should be noted that the influence of environmental factors under certain conditions may vary, or be the limiting does not radically affect living organisms.

agricultural chemist J. von Liebig minimum law was established.He argued that the level of the crop depends on the factor with the minimum quantitative characteristics.I must say that this law is really just at the level of chemical compounds, but is limited because the harvest depends on a variety of factors: the concentration of relevant substances, light, temperature, humidity, etc.At the same time limiting factors adversely affect or independently, or in combination.

Despite the close relationship environmental agents, they can not replace each other, as indicated in the law of the independence of the factors that was launched VR Williams.For example, the humidity can not be replaced by light or carbon dioxide.

most clearly describes the impact of environmental law limiting factor: even a single agent environment, which is outside its optimum, it can cause stress condition of the body or even his death.

level that corresponds to the boundaries of endurance of certain factors, called the degree of tolerance.It should be noted that this value is not constant.For different organisms, it is different.This range can be narrowed significantly in cases where the impact factor, the effect of which is close to the limit of endurance of the body.

must say that the limiting factors for one species are common conditions of existence for the other.Limits of tolerance for all organisms is the maximum or minimum lethal temperature, beyond which they are killed.This is due to the fact that the temperature factor can affect the metabolism and photosynthesis.

important agents, which may have the effect of limiting, are water and sunlight.Their deficiency leads to termination reactions and energy metabolism, which leads to the death of organisms.

Limiting factors are the cause of a number of specific adaptive responses which called adaptive.They develop under the influence of three important processes: the variability of living organisms, heredity and natural selection.The main source of adaptive changes include mutations in the genome.They can occur under the influence of both natural and man-made factors, which in some cases able to change the area of ​​distribution of species.

It should be noted that the accumulation of mutations leads to the disintegration phenomena.In the evolution of all organisms operates a complex of abiotic and biotic factors.Thus there are as successful adaptation, which help to adapt to adverse environmental factors, and unsuccessful, that lead to the extinction of species.