Environment and ecology

The term environment broadly indicates the surroundings of an individual

organism or a community of organisms, ranging on up to the entire biosphere,

the zone of Earth that is able to sustain life. By surroundings is meant all the

nonliving and living materials that play any role in an organism's existence,

from soil and air to what the organism feeds on and the organisms that may

feed on it. Any other factors acting on the organism, such as heat and light and

gravitation, make up its environment as well. In the case of human beings,

cultural factors may also be included in the term