Question

Why should a highly variable external environment bother organisms after all?

Answer 1

An external environment that constantly changes with respect to light intensity, temperature, salinity will cause the following in organisms:
● Survival of organisms will reduce.

• The regulators will have to use a lot of energy to adjust to the environment and these mechanisms will not be able to function if there is sudden extreme climate change.
• Conformers, since they lack homeostatic mechanisms, will not be able to survive such changes.
• The primary and secondary productivity of the ecosystem will get hampered.

● Reproductive ability: A variable environment will cause the following changes:

• Reproductive behaviour of animal
• Seed development
• Seed dispersal
• Change in population growth
• Change in the interaction between communities

● Stability in the ecosystem: Species will not be able to adapt in time leading to extinction.