Biotic Meaning
The term “biotic” is formed by the combination of two terms, “bio” meaning life and “ic” meaning like. Thus, the term means life-like and is related to all the living entities present in an ecosystem.
Biotic Factors
Biotic factors relate to all the living things in the ecosystem. Their presence and their biological by-products affect the composition of an ecosystem. Biotic factors refer to all living organisms from animals and humans, to plants, fungi, and bacteria. The interactions between various biotic factors are necessary for the reproduction of each species and to fulfil essential requirements like food, etc.
Examples of Biotic Factors
Examples of biotic resources include all the living components present in an ecosystem. These include producers, consumers, decomposers and detritivores.
Abiotic Meaning
The term abiotic refers to all the non-living factors present in an ecosystem. Sunlight, water, land, all constitute the abiotic factors.
Abiotic Factors
Abiotic factors refer to all the non-living, i.e. chemical and physical factors present in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. Sunlight, air, precipitation, minerals, and soil are some examples of abiotic factors. These factors have a significant impact on the survival and reproduction of species in an ecosystem.
For instance, without an adequate amount of sunlight, autotrophic organisms may not be able to survive. When these organisms eventually die, it will create a shortage of food for primary consumers. This effect cascades up the food chain, affecting every organism. Consequently, it leads to an imbalance in the ecosystem.
Examples of Abiotic Factors
Abiotic examples typically depend on the type of ecosystem. For instance, abiotic components in a terrestrial ecosystem include air, weather, water, temperature, humidity, altitude, the pH level of soil, type of soil and more. Abiotic examples in an aquatic ecosystem include water salinity, oxygen levels, pH levels, water flow rate, water depth and temperature.
Now, let’s have a look at the significant difference between the abiotic and biotic factors.
Difference between Abiotic and Biotic Resources
Following are the important difference between abiotic and biotic factors:
Difference Between Biotic Resources and Abiotic Resources
Biotic ResourcesAbiotic Resources
Definition
Biotic factors include all the living components present in an ecosystemAbiotic factors refer to all the non-living, i.e. physical conditions and chemical factors that influence an ecosystem
Examples
Examples of biotic resources include all flora and faunaExamples of abiotic factors include sunlight, water, air, humidity, pH, temperature, salinity, precipitation, altitude, type of soil, minerals, wind, dissolved oxygen, mineral nutrients present in the soil, air and water, etc.
Dependence
Biotic factors depend on abiotic factors for survival and reproductionAbiotic factors are completely independent of biotic factors
Origin
Biotic components originate from the biosphereAbiotic components originate from the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere
Aadya Bhardwaj 3 years, 10 months ago
2Thank You