Limiting factors are such agents, the quantitative values of which go beyond the adaptive capacity of living organisms, which leads to a restriction of their distribution in the corresponding territory.
Thus, limiting environmental factors affect the geographical area of distribution of various species, can provoke a restriction of their growth or even death with a lack of individual substances, as well as with their excess. It should be noted that the influence of environmental factors under certain conditions may change, be limiting or not radically affect living organisms.
Agrochemist J. Liebig established the law of the minimum. He argued that the level of yield depends on the factor with minimal quantitative characteristics. It must be said that this law is indeed valid at the level of chemical compounds, but it is limited, since the yield depends on a whole range of factors: the concentration of the corresponding substances, light, temperature, humidity, etc. At the same time, limiting factors negatively affect either independently or in a certain combination.
Despite the close relationship of environmental agents, they are not able to replace each other, which is indicated in the law of independence of factors, which was derived by VR Williams. For example, moisture cannot be replaced by the action of light or carbon dioxide.
The influence of ecology is most clearly described by the law of the limiting factor: even one environmental agent that is outside its optimum can cause the body to become stressed or even die.
The level that corresponds to the limits of the endurance of a certain factor is called the degree of tolerance. It should be noted that this value is not constant. It is different for different organisms. This range can be significantly narrowed in cases where a factor whose effect is close to the endurance limit of the organism is influencing.
It must be said that the limiting factors for one species are the usual conditions of existence for others. The limit of tolerance for all organisms is the maximum or minimum lethal temperature beyond which they die. This is due to the fact that the temperature factor can affect metabolism and photosynthesis.
Important agents that can have a limiting effect are water, as well as solar radiation. Their deficiency leads to the cessation of metabolic and energy reactions, which leads to the death of organisms.
Limiting factors cause a number of specificadaptive reactions, which are called adaptive. They develop under the influence of three important processes: the variability of living organisms, heredity and natural selection. The main source of adaptive changes are mutations in the genome. They can occur under the influence of both natural and artificial factors, which in some cases can change the distribution area of species.
It is worth noting that the accumulation of mutations leads to disintegration phenomena. In the process of evolution, all organisms are affected by a whole complex of abiotic and biotic factors. In this case, both successful adaptations arise, which help to adapt to negative environmental factors, and unsuccessful ones, which lead to the extinction of the species.
