Question

3) identify and describe three abiotic characteristics of ecosystems. Give an example of how each

Answer 1

Answer:

The abiotic characteristics of an ecosystem that affects man includes: Land surface, rainfall and relative humidity.

Explanation:

In the ecosystem, man occupies the terrestrial habitat which is affected by the abiotic factors listed above.

Abiotic (non- living) factors determine the type of biotic (living) community that is found in an ecosystem. These factors include Land surface, rainfall and relative humidity, just to mention a few.

--> LAND SURFACE: This is responsible for the marked variation in the vegetation of a place. For example, a mountain in the tropics may have a rain forest vegetation at it's base and an afroalpine vegetation near its peak. The gradient of the slope affects the growth of organisms. A steep slope encourage fast run - off of water and therefore encourages erosion, which results in shallow and infertile soil. This in turn AFFECT man's farming activities as there would be little to no crop yield.

--> RAINFALL: Water is a very important abiotic factor that affects life. The main source of water to terrestrial habitat is rainfall. When rain falls, a greater percentage of it sinks into the soil while the rest run- off into water bodies. Water is absorbed by root hairs into the plant and used for photosynthesis to produce food. The absence of rainfall in the environment of man could lead to drought which AFFECTS man negatively.

--> RELATIVE HUMIDITY: This is a measure of the amount of moisture in the atmosphere. It's usually high in hot wet regions. It affects the rate at which water evaporates from the body surfaces of organisms. Low relative humidity cause more water (sweat) to evaporate from body surfaces giving the human body a cooling effect. But in high relative humidity, the sweat cannot evaporate leaving the body feeling hot and sticky. This AFFECTS man as the body tries to cool off in a harder way by increasing rate of respiration and depth of blood circulation.