Conditions: Introduction

Ideas

Thoughts

1. The importance of temperature in determining the comfort level of human life.
2. Altering conditions purposefully (manmade)
3. Conditions for plants: agriculture (permaculture)
4. It is no wonder that laymen and traditional wisdom in Egypt gives a very high value to a person based on his or her fertility.
5. In plants: conditions: survival, growth, reproduction

Do

Houseplants Course

1. Optimum conditions for each plant.
2. Plant course: myths: (list needs)
1. Sun (too much is bad)
2. Water (don't over-water, don't soak it in water nor drown it in water)
3. Look for coursera course about plants.

Digest

• Understanding the distribution and abundance of a species requires knowledge about:
• its history
• resources it requires
• rates of birth, death and migration
• interactions with their own and other species
• effects of environmental conditions
• Environmental condition: "an abiotic environmental factor that influences the functioning of living organisms."
• temperature
• relative humidity
• pH
• salinity
• pollutant concentration
• "Unlike resources, conditions are not consumed by organisms."
• For practical reasons, we measure the performance of organisms based on:
• activity of an enzyme
• respiration rate of a tissue
• growth rate of individuals
• rate of reproduction
• Conditions gradually affect an organism's ability to:
• reproduce
• grow
• survive
• Effects of environmental conditions:
• Extreme conditions are lethal
• temperature
• pH
• The condition is lethal only at high intensities
• toxins
• radioactive emissions
• chemical pollutants
• The condition is required at low concentrations
• sodium chloride
• micronutrients: copper; zinc; manganese
• "Temperature is the single most important condition that affects the lives of organisms."

Question

Why is temperature the most important conditions in the environment of an organism?