The environment is everything in the surroundings of an organism that could possibly influence it. For example, the environment of a tadpole consists of water. The temperature of the water will influence the tadpole’s rate of growth and activity. The watery environment contains plants and animals on which the tadpole will feed, but it also contains fish and insects which may eat the tadpole. The water contains dissolved oxygen which the tadpole breathes by means of its gills. The water, the oxygen, the food and the predators are all part of the tadpole’s environment.
