The term "environment" means the surroundings of a living creature. It can also refer to all the factors of the external world that affect biological and social activities. There are abiotic (nonliving) environmental factors such as sunlight, air, and water. There are also biotic (living or recently living) environmental factors such as plants, animal predators, and food. The total environment of an organism is the sum total of the biotic and abiotic environments. The study of the relationships between living creatures and their environments is called ecology.

A human's abiotic environment includes things such as weather (sun-light, wind, air temperature) and items which give protection from the weather (clothes or houses). Other abiotic factors are the soil and water, and chemicals in the soil and water. A human's biotic environment includes things such as food (plants and animals), other humans, animals, trees, and grasses. The biotic environment also...