Explain how abiotic factors affect plants.
Answer:
-Wind: In windy conditions the rate of transpiration increases. Wind disperses fruits/ seeds and is an agent of pollution.
- Temperature : changes in temperature affects the rate of photosynthesis and other biochemical reactions/ metabolic reactions/enzymatic reactions. Increase in temperature increases rate of transpiration. Low temperature inactivates enzymes hence lower rate of enzyme reactions. At optimum temperatures,enzymes work best hence maximum enzyme activity.
-Light : plants need light for photosynthesis. Some plants need light for flowering/ photoperiodism. Seeds like lettuce require light of certain wavelength for germination.
-Humidity : When humidity is low, the rate of transpiration increases
-PH: Each plants require a specific PH to grow well/either acidic/alkalinity/neutral.
-Salinity : plants with salt tolerant tissues grow in saline area, plant in estuaries are able to adjust to salt fluctuation.
-Topography : North facing slopes land have more plants than south facing slopes. Plants on
windward side have stunted/ distorted growth.
- Water : fewer plants are found in arid and semiarid areas. Only plants with favourable
adaptation can survive here. Water is needed for germination. It is a raw material for
photosynthesis. It dissolve mineral salts and provide turgidity hence support in fruits, seeds, leaves and stems.
- Atmospheric pressure: Variation in atmospheric pressure affects availability of CO2 and O2 which affects photosynthesis. At low atmospheric pressure there is increased rate of transpiration and affect amount of oxygen for respiration.
- Mineral salts/trace elements: affects distribution of plants Plants thrive well where there are mineral salts in the soil. Plants living in the soil deficient in particular mineral element have special methods obtaining it for example legume obtain nitrogen fixation or carnivorous. Insectivorous plants obtain nitrogen from feeding on insects.
- Temperature : changes in temperature affects the rate of photosynthesis and other biochemical reactions/ metabolic reactions/enzymatic reactions. Increase in temperature increases rate of transpiration. Low temperature inactivates enzymes hence lower rate of enzyme reactions. At optimum temperatures,enzymes work best hence maximum enzyme activity.
-Light : plants need light for photosynthesis. Some plants need light for flowering/ photoperiodism. Seeds like lettuce require light of certain wavelength for germination.
-Humidity : When humidity is low, the rate of transpiration increases
-PH: Each plants require a specific PH to grow well/either acidic/alkalinity/neutral.
-Salinity : plants with salt tolerant tissues grow in saline area, plant in estuaries are able to adjust to salt fluctuation.
-Topography : North facing slopes land have more plants than south facing slopes. Plants on
windward side have stunted/ distorted growth.
- Water : fewer plants are found in arid and semiarid areas. Only plants with favourable
adaptation can survive here. Water is needed for germination. It is a raw material for
photosynthesis. It dissolve mineral salts and provide turgidity hence support in fruits, seeds, leaves and stems.
- Atmospheric pressure: Variation in atmospheric pressure affects availability of CO2 and O2 which affects photosynthesis. At low atmospheric pressure there is increased rate of transpiration and affect amount of oxygen for respiration.
- Mineral salts/trace elements: affects distribution of plants Plants thrive well where there are mineral salts in the soil. Plants living in the soil deficient in particular mineral element have special methods obtaining it for example legume obtain nitrogen fixation or carnivorous. Insectivorous plants obtain nitrogen from feeding on insects.
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Explain what would happen to red blood cells if they are placed in a concentrated salt solution. 
