How does temperature contribute to life on earth?

Answer 1

If you look at temperatures in our solar system, they range from the temperature on Pluto being awfully cold at (-396°F to -378°F, or -238°C to -228°C, or 35 K to 45 K), to the temperature on the surface of the sun being (9950°F, or 5510 °C, or 5780 K).

Life on earth has evolved requiring water in a liquid form. Of this range of temperatures in our solar system, this is actually a very narrow band of (32°F to 212°F, or 0°C to 100°C), with most life preferring temperatures around 70°F, or 21°C.

Essentially all of the other planets including our own moon have temperature extremes that would make life as we know it difficult.

Water actually has some unique properties that have contributed to life on Earth including it being an excellent solvent for many substances, INCLUDING OXYGEN, and that it floats when it freezes thus during cold weather there is often liquid water found under an ice cover.

One note, however, is that terrestrial life has evolved to live in some very unique situations that one might not expect including hot and cold temperatures, pressures, varying acidities, etc. These organisms are classified as extremophiles.

Warm blooded mammals have evolved a method to maintain a fairly constant body temperature in both the hot and cold, while cold blooded animals adapt to their environment, including the Siberian Salamander which is able to frozen, survive while frozen for years, thaw out and continue on.

Answer 2

Temperature is crucial for regulating biological processes in living organisms. It influences enzyme activity, membrane fluidity, and metabolic rates. Temperature also determines the distribution and abundance of different species, shaping ecosystems and biodiversity on Earth.