Final answer:
The term for the ability of organisms to operate within specific environmental ranges is homeostasis, which includes mechanisms such as thermoregulation. Some life stages, like spores and seeds, exhibit extreme tolerances as a survival strategy, employing adaptations like suspended animation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The word that describes the ability of organisms to function within a specific range of temperatures, salinities, or rainfall amounts is homeostasis. Homeostasis is the regulatory process through which organisms maintain internal conditions within a narrow range, despite changes in their external environment. This includes thermoregulation, which is the ability to regulate body temperature. For instance, polar bears have adapted structures like fur and blubber to conserve heat in cold climates, while other organisms, like humans and dogs, use perspiration and panting to release excess body heat in hot climates. Moreover, some organisms, known as extremophiles, have evolved to thrive in extreme conditions, such as high temperatures in geysers.
Notably, extreme tolerance to a range of environmental factors, such as temperature, is often associated with certain life cycle stages, like spores and seeds, facilitating survival through unfavorable conditions. This state of suspended animation involves several adaptations, such as energy and carbon reserve accumulation, membrane restructuring, protein structure changes, and, in some cases, cell wall thickening.