With two or three classmates explore your present conceptual knowledge of factors that determine the distribution of organisms. Your goal is to make a list of factors that determine where organisms live. For instance, corn needs sufficient water to grow. It also needs proper temperatures .
Some factors are less obvious.
To get at some less obvious factors you might consider the following questions or comparable questions that you develop. After developing a list of factors, try to sort them into three or four main categories. Answer the following from your reading of Chapter 4 or other source materials. Define optimal range, zones of physiological stress and zones of intolerance for organisms. Now apply these definitions to an organism of your own selection.