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Difference Between Biotic and Abiotic Factors

June 19, 2017Posted byDr.Samanthi

Key Difference – Biotic vs Abiotic Factors

Ecosystemis a biological community in which living organisms and physical environments are interconnected to each other. It can be considered as a complex network which has many interactions with each other. It includes all living things, their interactions and all non living things in the environment. It is the foundation for the energy flow and biogeochemical cycles. Every organism in the ecosystem has its own niche and a role to play for the existence of the ecosystem. Ecosystem has two major components named biotic component and abiotic component. They are also called biotic factor and abiotic factor.Biotic factor of the ecosystem includes all living organismswhileabiotic factor includes all non living things in the ecosystem.This is the key difference between biotic and abiotic factors.

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What are Biotic Factors
3.What are Abiotic Factors
4.Side by Side Comparison – Biotic vs Abiotic Factors in Tabular Form
5.Summary

What are Biotic Factors?

The word biotic refers to the living organism. Hence, the biotic factors of an ecosystem refer to all living organisms in the ecosystem. It includesplants, animals,birds,fungi, bacteria,protozoa, etc. All these organisms work together in an ecosystem. These living organisms largely depend on the abiotic factors of the ecosystem. The small biotic unit of an ecosystem is species. The success or the failure of a species depends on the adaptations of that species, competition and the resources available in the ecosystem. Different species in the community interact with each other for the resources in the environment. When the resources are limited, only the competent species will remain in the environment, and they will be selected bynatural selection.

Biological organisms in an ecosystem show complex interactions such assymbiosis,parasitism, mutualisms,competition, predation, etc.

Key Difference - Biotic vs Abiotic Factors

Figure 01: Biotic Factors of the Ecosystem

What are Abiotic Factors?

Abiotic factor is a major component of an ecosystem. It includes all the non living things present in the ecosystem. Non living physical and chemical elements belong to the abiotic component. Abiotic factors are sunlight, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, temperature, water, soil, minerals, other gasses,salinity,humidity, wind, etc. Abiotic factors are derived from atmosphere,lithosphere, and hydrosphere. Abiotic factors are an essential part of an ecosystem since biotic factor of the ecosystem totally depend on the abiotic factor. However, abiotic factor does not dependent on the biotic factor. It provides the foundation for interactions between living organisms of the ecosystem. If one abiotic factor is limited in the ecosystem, it affects the stability of the ecosystem and to species. For example, if water is removed in a pond (ecosystem), all the aquatic organisms will be affected.

Difference Between Biotic and Abiotic Factors

Figure 02: Abiotic factor of an ecosystem – Water

What is the difference between Biotic and Abiotic Factors?

Biotic vs Abiotic Factors

Biotic factors are the living organisms of an ecosystem. Abiotic factors are the non living components of an ecosystem.
Examples
Biotic factors include plants, bacteria, fungi, birds, worms, animals, etc. Abiotic factors include sunlight, water, air, chemical elements, minerals, soil, temperature, etc.
Dependency
Biotic factors depend on the abiotic factors. Abiotic factors do not depend on biotic factors.
Adaptations
Biotic factors adapt to the environment. Abiotic factors do not change or adapt to the environment.

Summary – Biotic vs Abiotic Factors

Ecosystem can be defined as all living and nonliving components of a given geographic area. All living organisms found in an ecosystem is known as biotic factor and all nonliving components are considered as abiotic factors. This is the key difference between abiotic and biotic factors. Abiotic and biotic factors of an ecosystem are related to each other. Biotic factor depends on the abiotic factor of the ecosystem. When the abiotic and biotic components are balanced properly, the ecosystem remains stable.

Download PDF Version of Biotic vs Abiotic Factors

You can download PDF version of this article and use it for offline purposes as per citation notes. Please download PDF version hereDifference Between Biotic and Abiotic Factors.

References:

1. “Ecosystem.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 07 June 2017. Web.Available here. 13 June 2017.
2. “Difference between Abiotic and Biotic.” Difference Between. N.p., 15 Dec. 2016. Web.Available here. 13 June 2017.
3. “Biotic and Abiotic – Importance Of Biotic & Abiotic Factors.” Biology. Byjus Classes, 30 Nov. 2016. Web.Available here. 13 June 2017.

Image Courtesy:

1.”Common clownfish” – Photographed by Jan Derk (Public Domain) viaCommons Wikimedia
2.”Overlander Falls” By Guenter Wieschendahl – Selfmade–Eigenaufnahme (Public Domain) viaCommons Wikimedia

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Difference Between Living Things and Non-living ThingsDifference Between Living Things and Non-living Things Difference Between Carpel and Pistil Difference Between Transposon and Retrotransposon Difference Between Staphylococcus and Streptococcus Difference Between Monocyte and MacrophageDifference Between Monocyte and Macrophage

Filed Under:BiologyTagged With:Abiotic Factors,Abiotic Factors Definition,Abiotic Factors Features,Biotic and Abiotic Factors Differences,Biotic Factors,Biotic Factors Definition,Biotic Factors Features,Biotic vs Abiotic Factors,Compare Biotic and Abiotic Factors,Living things,Non-living things

About the Author:Dr.Samanthi

中国人民解放军Dr.Samanthi Udayangani持有学士学位nt Science, M.Sc. in Molecular and Applied Microbiology, and PhD in Applied Microbiology. Her research interests include Bio-fertilizers, Plant-Microbe Interactions, Molecular Microbiology, Soil Fungi, and Fungal Ecology.

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