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Biotic and Abiotic Factors within an Ecosystem
An ecosystem includes all the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) resources or
components of a particular area. The word ecosystem comes from the Greek word ecos,
which means “home.” A habitat must contain resources to provide energy, water, and
gases (such as oxygen and carbon dioxide) for the survival of an organism. These factors
determine which kinds of organisms will live within a certain habitat.
Organisms of the same species living together in the same area form a population.
Populations of different species share the ecosystem to form a community of organisms
that interacts with each other and competes for resources needed for life. In a
community, each species has a unique function and specific patterns of interactions
with the biotic and abiotic parts or factors of an environment. When different
populations within a community occupy a specific niche, there is less competition for
certain biotic and abiotic factors.
Remember: Abiotic factors include water, light, air, temperature, soil, rocks, and wind.
Within the community, organisms often compete for certain biotic and abiotic factors.
Because there are limited amounts of water, food, light, and space in an environment,
the size of the population or health of individual organisms may be affected. An
ecosystem can only support or carry a certain number of organisms based on the
availability of these resources.
As an example, a caribou population might change based on the availability of
resources. When the number of caribou exceeds the resources, many caribou will not
survive. The carrying capacity, or number of organisms an environment can support, is
driven by limiting factors such as food, water, light, and space.
Remember: Biotic and abiotic factors limit the size of a population and can also be called
limiting factors. Carry capacity is the total number of organisms supported in a habitat.
As a population increases in size, more and more individuals compete for these
resources. Eventually, the population of the species declines to a size where the
resources can meet their needs. Competition for limited food, water, and space
resources results in some organisms not being able to get enough resources for survival.
Biotic and Abiotic Factors within an Ecosystem
An ecosystem includes all the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) resources or
components of a particular area. The word ecosystem comes from the Greek word ecos,
which means “home.” A habitat must contain resources to provide energy, water, and
gases (such as oxygen and carbon dioxide) for the survival of an organism. These factors
determine which kinds of organisms will live within a certain habitat.
Organisms of the same species living together in the same area form a population.
Populations of different species share the ecosystem to form a community of organisms
that interacts with each other and competes for resources needed for life. In a
community, each species has a unique function and specific patterns of interactions
with the biotic and abiotic parts or factors of an environment. When different
populations within a community occupy a specific niche, there is less competition for
certain biotic and abiotic factors.
Remember: Abiotic factors include water, light, air, temperature, soil, rocks, and wind.
Within the community, organisms often compete for certain biotic and abiotic factors.
Because there are limited amounts of water, food, light, and space in an environment,
the size of the population or health of individual organisms may be affected. An
ecosystem can only support or carry a certain number of organisms based on the
availability of these resources.
As an example, a caribou population might change based on the availability of
resources. When the number of caribou exceeds the resources, many caribou will not
survive. The carrying capacity, or number of organisms an environment can support, is
driven by limiting factors such as food, water, light, and space.
Remember: Biotic and abiotic factors limit the size of a population and can also be called
limiting factors. Carry capacity is the total number of organisms supported in a habitat.
As a population increases in size, more and more individuals compete for these
resources. Eventually, the population of the species declines to a size where the
resources can meet their needs. Competition for limited food, water, and space
resources results in some organisms not being able to get enough resources for survival.