Environment
means what surrounds us. It may be living or non-living things. It includes
physical
,
chemical
and other natural forces. Living things live in their environment. They constantly interact with it and adapt themselves to conditions in their environment. In the environment there are different interactions between
animals
,
plants
,
soil
,
water
, and other living and non-living things.
The word
environment
is used to talk about many things for example trees, rivers, oceans.
People
in different fields of knowledge use the word environment differently. Electromagnetic environment is
radio waves
and other
electromagnetic radiation
and
magnetic
fields
. The environment of a galaxy may mean the
interstellar medium
, or it may mean other nearby galaxies.
In
psychology
and
medicine
, a person's environment is the people, physical things and places that the person lives with. The environment affects the growth and development of the person. It may affect the person's body and
mind
.
The conditions of living organisms in an environment are affected by the weather and climate changes in the environment. They are also greatly affected by other living things.
In biology and ecology, the environment is all of the natural materials and living things, If those things are natural, it is a natural environment.
Environment includes the living and non-living things that an organism interacts with, or that have an effect on it. Living elements that an organism interacts with are known as biotic elements: animals, plants, etc. Abiotic elements are non living things which include air, water, sunlight etc. Studying the environment means studying the relationships among these various things. An example of interactions between non-living and living things is plants getting their minerals from the soil and making food using sunlight. Predation, an organism eating another, is an example of interaction between living things.
Environmentalists
think we should protect the natural environment, to keep it safe. Things in the natural environment that we value are called
natural resources
. For example;
fish
,
insects
, and
forests
. These are
renewable resources
because they come back naturally when we use them.
Non-renewable resources
are important things in the environment that are limited for example,
ores
and
fossil fuels
after a few thousand years. Some things in the natural environment can kill people, such as
lightning
.
- Ecological units which are natural systems without much human interference. These include all
vegetation
,
microorganisms
,
soil
,
rocks
,
atmosphere
, and natural events.
- Universal
natural resources
and physical
phenomenon
which lack clear-cut boundaries. These include
climate
,
air
,
water
,
energy
,
radiation
,
electric charge
, and
magnetism
.