what do you mean by biotic or abiotic factors ?
Answers
Explanation:
A biotic factor is a living thing that has an impact on another population of living things or on the environment. Abiotic factors do the same thing, but they are non-living. Together, biotic and abiotic factors make up an ecosystem. To survive, biotic factors need abiotic factors
Answer
Definition. A biotic factor is a living thing that has an impact on another population of living things or on the environment. Abiotic factors do the same thing, but they are non-living. Together, biotic and abiotic factors make up an ecosystem. To survive, biotic factors need abiotic factors
Explanation
Abiotic factors can be climatic, related to weather, or edaphic, related to soil. Climatic factors include air temperature, wind and rain. Edaphic factors include geography such as topography and mineral content, as well as soil temperature, texture, moisture level, pH level and aeration.
Climatic factors greatly impact which plants and animals can live within an ecosystem. Prevailing weather patterns and conditions dictate the conditions under which species will be expected to live. The patterns not only help to create the environment but also impact water currents. Changes in any of these factors, such as those that occur during occasional fluctuations such as El Niño, have a direct impact and can have both positive and negative effects.
Changes in air temperature affect the germination and growing patterns of plants as well as the migration and hibernation patterns in animals. While seasonal changes occur in many temperate climates, unexpected changes can have negative results. Although some species can adapt, sudden changes can result in inadequate protection from severe conditions (for example, being without a winter coat of fur) or without sufficient food stores to last through a season. In some habitats, such as in coral reefs, species may be unable to migrate to a more hospitable location. In all these cases, if they are unable to adapt, they will die off.
Edaphic factors impact plant species more than animals, and the effect is greater on larger organisms than it is on smaller ones. For example, variables such as elevation impact plant diversity more than that of bacteria. This is seen in forest tree populations where elevation, the slope of the land, exposure to sunlight and the soil all play a role in determining the population of particular tree species in a forest. Biotic factors also come into play. The presence of other tree species has an impact. The regeneration density of trees tends to be higher in locations where there are other trees of the same species nearby. In some cases, the presence of certain other species of trees nearby is associated with lower regeneration levels.
Land masses and elevation influence wind and temperature. For example, a mountain can create a wind break, which impacts the temperature on the other side. Ecosystems at higher elevations experience lower temperatures than those at lower elevations. In extreme cases, elevation can cause arctic or sub-arctic conditions even in tropical latitudes. These differences in temperature can make it impossible for a species to journey from one suitable environment to another if the path between requires traveling through changing elevations with inhospitable conditions.
Minerals such as calcium and nitrogen levels affect the availability of food sources. The level of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air dictate which organisms can live there. Differences in terrain such as soil texture, composition and the size of sand grains also can impact a species’ ability to survive. For example, burrowing animals require certain types of terrain to create their homes, and some organisms require rich soil while others do better in sandy or rocky terrain.
In many ecosystems, abiotic factors are seasonal. In temperate climates, normal variations in temperature, precipitation and the amount of daily sunlight affect the ability of organisms to grow. This has an impact not only on plant life but also on the species that rely on the plants as a food source. Animal species may follow a pattern of activity and hibernation or may adapt to changing conditions through coat, diet and body-fat changes. Changing conditions encourage high diversity rates among species in an ecosystem. This can help stabilize populations.