How do the physical features of the surrounding affect organisms?
What are these physical factors?
Give examples of how organisms adapt to these physical factors.

The physical factors are:
o Light intensity
o Temperature
o Amount of water available
o Oxygen content
o Salinity(salt concentration) of soil/water
o pH of soil/water

The physical features of the surroundings and the nature of the soil determine the types of plants found in a region. Since animals rely directly or indirectly on plants for food, the animals that live in a region are determined by the plants growing in that region. Organisms found in a region are usually adapted to the physical features of their environment.

For example, some plants have a dense covering of hairs on the leaf epidermis or a layer of thick-walled cells just beneath the epidermis. These adaptations protect the plant by screening off excess heat and reducing the rate of transpiration. Also, frogs have webbed toes and fish have fins for swimming.