Animals, plants, and microorganisms in an ecosystem are the biotic components found in an ecosystem. Wastes from living things and dead organisms are also considered as biotic components. Biotic components can be divided into two depending on their metabolisms : producers and consumers. All the autotrophs like plants in an ecosystem are considered as producers.
They produce simple organic molecules like glucose with the aid of sunlight by using inorganic carbon dioxide and water. Consumers are heterotrophs , which utilize the organic compounds produced by autotrophs.
Primary consumers or herbivores directly consume producers as food. Secondary consumers or carnivores are the animals like dog and cat, which consume herbivores.
Secondary carnivores like lions consume primary consumers. The decomposers are microorganisms like bacteria and fungi , which consume dead organisms. A food web, illustrating the connections between biotic components in an ecosystem is shown in figure 1.
Biotic resources are also called as living resources. They are renewable resources. They can be obtained from the biosphere. Biotic resources include forests and their products, animals, birds, and marine resources like fish. Food like tea, coffee, and medicine can also be obtained from plants. Timber, wood pulp, gums, wool, alcohol, and dry fruits are biotic resources which can be obtained from plants.
The decaying organic matter like mineral fuel is also a type of biotic resource. Figure 2: Biotic Resources of a Fores. Biotic factors are the other living parts of an ecosystem with which the organisms interact for their survival.
The interactions of organisms in an ecosystem with biotic factors depend on the level of that organism in the food chain. Predators, prey, parasites , competitors, and symbionts are biotic factors.
Non-biological factors like sunlight, material like sulfur dioxide, and processes like hydrolysis, which affect living and non-living constituents of an ecosystem are referred to as abiotic. Abiotic elements in an ecosystem can also be described under three categories. They are abiotic components, abiotic resources, and abiotic factors. The non-living features of an ecosystem on which the living organisms depend can be identified as abiotic components.
Four major abiotic components of an ecosystem are climate, parent material and soil, topography and natural disturbances. The abiotic factor is a living organism that affects another organism in its ecosystem. Examples include plants and animals that the body consumes as food and the animals that consume the body.
The following video covers the biotic and abiotic factors that influence most ecosystems, and introduces the key vocabulary relevant to ecology: This is a good SlideShare presentation that covers the definition and examples of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem:. The scope of biotic and abiotic factors extends across the entire biosphere, or the global sum of all ecosystems.
Such factors may have relevance for an individual within a species, its community or an entire population. For example, the disease is an abiotic factor that affects the survival of an individual and his community. Temperature is an abiotic factor with the same relevance. Some factors are more relevant to an entire ecosystem. Abiotic and biotic factors combine to create a system or, more precisely, an ecosystem, that is, a community of living and non-living things considered as a unit.
In this case, the abiotic factors include the soil and water pH, types of nutrients available and even the length of the day. Biotic factors such as the presence of autotrophic organisms or self-feeding organisms, such as plants, and the diversity of consumers also affect an entire ecosystem.
Abiotic factors affect the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce. Abiotic limiting factors restrict population growth. For instance, some ecosystems experience cold winters with a lot of snow. An animal such as a fox within this ecosystem adapts to these abiotic factors by growing a thick, white -colored coat in the winter.
Decomposers such as bacteria and fungi are examples of biotic interactions on such a scale. Decomposers function by breaking down dead organisms. This process returns the basic components of the organisms to the soil, allowing them to be reused within that ecosystem. Share this comparison:. If you read this far, you should follow us:. Diffen LLC, n. Abiotic vs. Comparison chart Differences — Similarities —. What are biotic and abiotic factors? The following video covers the biotic and abiotic factors that influence most ecosystems, and introduces key vocabulary relevant to ecology: This is a good SlideShare presentation that covers the definition and examples of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem: Relevance The scope of abiotic and biotic factors spans across the entire biosphere, or global sum of all ecosystems.
Influencing Factors Abiotic factors affect the ability of organisms to survive and reproduce. Interaction Examples The significance of abiotic and biotic factors comes in their interaction with each other.
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