What Are Examples of Environmental Factors?

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Examples of environmental factors include soil, water, climate, natural vegetation and landforms. Environmental factors entail everything that changes the environment. Some factors are visible, while others cannot be seen. In some situations, only the effects of environmental changes are evident. Environmental factors may affect living things either directly or indirectly.

Water covers the larger part of the earth, and most of it is saltwater. Water is a necessity to living things; without it, life cannot be sustained. Aquatic animals such as fish cannot survive without water. On Earth, there are several processes, such as earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides, that affect the existence of living things. The term “landform” is used to distinguish between forms of land. Landforms are identified by their location, what they are made of, size and shape. Climate is the long-term weather condition of a place. For example, the Antarctica is always cold, and South Asia is always hot. Animals living in different climates are designed to survive in such weather conditions. Polar bears have thick fur to survive in cold areas. Wind is an environmental factor that affects things such as pollination in plants. Several environmental factors, depending on their severity, affect things such as climate.

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