Biotic and abiotic factors
Biotic factors are living things that affect a community, like predators. Abiotic factors are non-living, like temperature and light.
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Analogy
Biotic is the other players on a pitch. Abiotic is the weather and the grass.
In practice
A new disease is a biotic change. A drought is an abiotic change.
Practice
Flashcards
- Give two abiotic factors.Temperature and light intensity, for example.
Questions people ask
What are examples of biotic factors?
Biotic factors include food availability, new predators, new diseases and competition between species. For example, if a new predator arrives, prey numbers may fall. Biotic factors are anything living that affects another living thing. They are different from non-living factors such as soil pH.
What abiotic factors affect plants?
Light intensity, temperature, moisture, soil pH, soil minerals, wind speed and carbon dioxide level all affect plants. For example, a plant in shade photosynthesises more slowly and grows less. Scientists measure these with instruments such as light meters, thermometers and pH probes.