161

One of the most fundamental factors defining the relationship between an organism and the environment is the place where it is found, its habitat.
The most fundamental constraint on the distribution of species is the ability of the environment to provide essential resources and environmental conditions capable of sustaining basic life processes. For a species to persist in a given location, it must have the physiological potential to survive and reproduce in that habitat. As we have seen, physical and chemical (abiotic) features of the environment, such as pH, temperature, or salinity have a direct influence on basic physiological processes necessary to sustain life.