Biophysical environment

The biophysical environment is the biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development and evolution. The biophysical environment can vary in scale from microscopic to global in extent. It can also be subdivided according to its attributes. Examples include the marine environment, the atmospheric environment and the terrestrial environment. The number of biophysical environments is countless, given that each living organism has its own environment. The symbiosis between the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment includes all variables that comprise the Earth’s biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories: the natural environment and the built environment with some overlap between the two. Following the industrial revolution the built environment has become an increasingly significant part of the Earth's environment. The scope of the biophysical environment is all that contained in the biosphere, which is that part of the Earth in which all life occurs. When narrowed down to the aquatic environment, and particularly in the context of the Water Framework Directive, these are often referred to as water quality, water quantity and hydromorphology.