Difference Between Biotic and Abiotic Factors
To understand how each ecosystem works, the students must learn about its components, such as Biotic and Abiotic factors. Which plays a major role in the shaping of the said ecosystem. And here in this article below, we are going to provide a comprehensive description of biotic and abiotic resources, as well as their major differences.
What are Biotic Components?
Firstly, all living animals inside an ecosystem are referred to as Biotic components. This means all the living organisms on our planet earth are referred to as Biotic Components. The main function of the biotic components is to interact with each other and develop new generations of living organisms, which will be helpful in maintaining the stability of the food chain.
For Example, Insects, Human Beings, Plants, and Animals, are all popular examples of Biotic Components. Furthermore, based on the type of food consumed by these organisms, they are differentiated into four types, Producers, consumers, decomposers, and Detritivores.
Types of Biotic Components
As stated above, there are four types of Biotic Components, which we are going to explain briefly here in this section.
- Producers – Living organisms, that produce their own food through Photosynthesis are called Producers. Plants, Fungi, and Bacteria are some of the popular examples of Producers.
- Consumers – Organisms who feed on the producers are called consumers, and are differentiated into two types, Primary and Secondary Consumers, based on whether they directly or indirectly feed on the producers.
- Decomposer – Organisms like Fungi, and Bacteria, that break or decompose the inorganic materials, like dead plants and animals, which is why they are referred to as decomposers or reducers.
- Detritivores – Like all organisms, there are some special organisms that feed on dead and decaying organisms, called Detritivores. However, unlike all other living organisms, the energy produced by these organisms is very low, compared to other biotic components.
What are Abiotic Components?
All the non-living parts in the ecosystem are defined as abiotic components, and they play an equally important role in shaping and management of ecosystems. Moreover, abiotic components include multiple factors such as water, weather, types of soil, temperature, altitude, PH, humidity, and many more.
Difference between Biotic and Abiotic Components of Environment
There are multiple differences between Abiotic and Biotic Components, which we are going to list here under this section.
| Parameters | Biotic Components | Abiotic Components |
| Definition | Living Organisms are categorized as Biotic Components. | Non-Living Organisms are categorized as Abiotic Components. |
| Nature of Organisms | These types of components are living in nature. | While these components are non-living in nature. |
| Dependence | In order to thrive, these components need both biotic and abiotic factors. | The Abiotic factors do not depend on biotic components. |
| Origin | Their origin is limited to the biosphere. | Unlike biotic components, abiotic components originated from the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. |
| Examples | Plants, Animals, Bacteria, etc. | Altitude, Water, Soil, Weather, Temperature, etc. |
Conclusion
In the article, we have covered all about the biotic and abiotic charts, differences, features, examples, and many more. As you can understand from the above article, biology subject includes a vast syllabus, comprising various complex topics. Thus, the students might find it a bit difficult to cover all the topics on their own. In that case, they can make use of the Online Home Tutor program offered by the Tutoroot platform, which comes with various benefits. Visit the official website to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the relationship between Biotic and Abiotic Factors?
The interaction between the biotic and abiotic factors of the environment will increase the diversity and survival chances of species in the said ecosystem.