Final answer:
Organisms must effectively respond to changes in their external and internal environments using feedback mechanisms to maintain homeostasis, ensuring their survival and well-being.
Step-by-step explanation:
Organisms must respond appropriately and effectively to changes in both their external and internal environments to ensure survival, growth, and maintenance of homeostasis. Feedback mechanisms are biological processes that organisms employ to maintain their internal environments in balance and to adapt to external environmental changes.
When the external environment changes, such as a shift in temperature, organisms need to adapt to avoid harmful effects, such as heat stroke in high temperatures. This might involve physiological responses like sweating to cool down.
Similarly, internal changes, such as a rise in blood sugar levels, are controlled through feedback mechanisms like the release of insulin to maintain a stable internal environment. If organisms fail to respond effectively, it could lead to their inability to thrive or even survive in their given habitats.