Environmental Resistance

Introduction

Environmental resistance is a process of controlling the population of species in an ecosystem. Nature usually stops the overgrowth of population and this is seen in all ecosystems of the world. The idea of environmental resistance is to keep the ecosystems balanced. This tutorial discusses various ways, examples, and definitions of environmental resistance.

What is Environmental Resistance?

Environmental resistance refers to the environmental process of stopping the overgrowth of the population. Usually, if there is no resistance to the growth of the population of a species it will grow uncontrollably, threatening the balance of an ecosystem. Therefore, natu8re employs some specific factors that limit the growth of the population of species. This is known as environmental resistance.

Environmental resistance can impact the rate of reproduction or the birth rate of species in some cases. By limiting the reproduction rate, nature may keep the population of a species in sync with the biological balance. Moreover, by killing the extra offspring of a species, nature maintains the balance of the ecosystem.

Environmental resistance is, therefore, the sum of abiotic and biotic limiting factors that control the growth of the population of species. It is notable that abiotic factors also play a role in limiting the overgrowth of the population. Environmental resistance factors include those that inhibit the overgrowth of the population and maximize the number of individuals that can sustain it. Some resources are available to nature that act as resistance factors to the environment.

These include

• Food

• Water

• Predation

• Diseases

• Collection of toxic metabolic waste

• Behavioral change in species (such as stress from overpopulation).

Environmental resistance is a resistance offered by the environment to stop the population of a species from growing more than normal. The inhibition of overpopulation is influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors. The intent of environmental resistance is to limit population so that the natural balance of an ecosystem remains intact.

Biotic and Abiotic Environmental Resistance Factors

The environmental resistance factors can be both biotic and abiotic.

The factors that are living in nature are called biotic factors. Biotic factors include fruits, plants, and animals. The biotic factors oppose the growth of the population of species via parasitism, poisoning, competition, and predation.

Non−living conditions, such as rain, fire, or sunlight are called abiotic factors. Abiotic factors influence the control of the population through the fluctuation of abiotic situations. For example, droughts and high temperatures may inhibit the growth of the population of some species. Abiotic resistance can be surpassed by adaptability and evolution.

It has been noticed that in some cases, organisms adapt themselves to the environmental resistance factors which lead to overpopulation of the species. Nature controls such overpopulation by acting as a regulator. By evolution, certain microorganisms become able to sustain environmental resistance by building complex structures.

Biotic Potential

Biotic potential refers to the proliferation of a species under ideal and perfect environmental conditions. Usually, when an ideal condition for reproduction exists, species reproduce more and grow in numbers. This is called biotic potential. However, as mentioned above, nature prohibits the overgrowth of the population via both biotic and abiotic factors.

The ideal conditions in which a species can grow exponentially include the following:

• Presence of excessive food

• No diseases

• No predators.

Biotic potential varies from species to species. Larger animals, such as human beings produce only one offspring in single birth while microorganisms produce thousands of offspring. Therefore, larger animals have lower biotic potential than smaller microorganisms.

Factors leading to Differences in Biotic Potential

The difference in biotic potential is due to certain factors that include: Survival rates of offspring, Reproduction frequency, and Reproductive Lifespan.

• Consider the litter size of species. Microorganisms have thousands of offspring, spiders have many, dogs and cats have four to eight while human beings have one to three at the maximum. These impact the ecosystem in a palpable manner. The more the number of offspring more is environmental resistance.

• A forest may have poisonous plants which may kill animals when their leaves are consumed. However, these plants may die due to exposure to too much sunlight. Nature keeps a balance in the ecosystem in such a manner. The sunlight, in this case, is an abiotic environmental resistance factor. There are more such factors, including rain and temperature. It must be noted that, in the case of poisonous plants, they will grow in number if a person adds more of them.

• The relationship between prey and predators also shows the environmental resistance phenomenon. When the number of predators is low, the prey population increases in number. However, if predators grow in number, the prey population goes down. Furthermore, the increased predator population must have the availability of enough preys to survive. Otherwise, their own population may decrease.

Carrying Capacity

Carrying capacity refers to the maximum population in an ecosystem. By carrying capacity, it is meant that a species can have the maximum population without getting reduced due to damage or deterioration.

Carrying capacity is influenced by two factors: biotic potential and environmental resistance.

The carrying capacity overshoots when the population increases more than normal. Reproductive lag time is responsible for this. Reproductive lag time is the time when birth rates decrease or death rates increase. Limited resources impact the difference between birth and death rates.

When death rates increase a collapse in the population takes place. This is also called dieback. When the resources get limited, organisms start to migrate to a location that is rich in resources and required factors for life. When the population of a species goes lower than its carrying capacity, the resources grow in amount and they get sustained according to the needs of the ecosystem’s population.

Biotic Potential Vs Environmental Resistance

Biotic Potential (Growth Factors)	Environmental Resistance (Limiting Factors)
Ideal abiotic Conditions	Excessive of less than normal abiotic factors.
Higher rate of reproduction	Lower rate of reproduction
Adequate food supply	Inadequate food supply
Migration capacity present	Absence of migration capacity
Possibility of adaptation	Adaptation is not possible

Conclusion

Environmental resistance is a natural limiting factor that keeps the population limited so that the balance of an ecosystem can stay intact. It is an important process for all living beings, and its impact is enormous in nature. It is also a matter of study because it represents a key phenomenon of nature that is applicable to all kinds of species.

Frequently Asked Questions

Qns 1. What are the factors that are naturally available as environmental resistance factors?

Ans. Some resources are available to nature that act as resistance factors to the environment. These include

• Food

• Water

• Predation

• Diseases

• Collection of toxic metabolic waste

• Behavioral change in species (such as stress from overpopulation)

Qns 2. What is biotic potential?

Ans. Biotic potential refers to the proliferation of a species under ideal and perfect environmental conditions. Usually, when an ideal condition for reproduction exists, species reproduce more and grow in numbers. This is called biotic potential. However, as mentioned above, nature prohibits the overgrowth of the population via both biotic and abiotic factors.

Qns 3. What is carrying capacity?

Ans. Carrying capacity refers to the maximum population in an ecosystem. By carrying capacity, it is meant that a species can have the maximum population without getting reduced due to damage or deterioration.