Briefly describe the biotic components of an ecosystem

1. Build background on the abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems. State that the root of the word ecology is the Greek word oikos, meaning “house.” Ecosystem literally means a “system of houses.” Ecology is the study of nature’s houses and the organisms living in them. Ask: Does anyone know the scientific term for the “living” components of an Does anyone know the scientific term for the “non-living” components of an ecosystem? Elicit from students that an abiotic factor is any non-living component of the environment and ask for examples, such as sunlight, temperature, moisture, wind or water currents, soil type, and nutrient availability. Display the illustration of ocean abiotic factors. Tell students that the interaction of multiple biotic and abiotic, or physical, factors determines which species can survive in a particular ecosystem. 2. Have students define abiotic factors and physical processes that impact ocean ecosystems. Explain to students that, in this activity, they will learn more about abiotic factors and physical processes that impact ocean ecosystems. Arrange students in small groups and give each group two or three index cards and a copy of the Ocean Abiotic Factors handout. Read aloud the directions. Explain that students will use the handout to create concept map vocabulary cards and learn the terms. Assign two or three terms to each group. On one side of each card, have students use a pencil to divide the card into three sections. For each section...

What is an ecosystem? An ecosystem is a natural environment and includes the flora (plants) and fauna (animals) that live and interact within that environment. Flora, fauna and bacteria are the biotic or living components of the ecosystem. Ecosystems are dependent on the following abiotic or non-living components : • climate - the temperature and amount of rainfall are very important in determining which species can survive in the ecosystem • soil - the soil type is important as this provides nutrients that will support different plants • water - the amount of water available in an ecosystem will determine what plants and animals can be supported The biotic parts of the ecosystem have a complex relationship with the abiotic components - changing one will lead to a change in the other.

Biotic And Abiotic Table of Contents • • • Biotic and abiotic are the two essential factors responsible for shaping the ecosystem. The biotic factors refer to all the living beings present in an ecosystem, and the abiotic factors refer to all the non-living components like physical conditions (temperature, pH, humidity, salinity, sunlight, etc.) and chemical agents (different gases and mineral nutrients present in the air, water, soil, etc.) in an ecosystem. Therefore, both the abiotic and biotic resources affect the survival and reproduction process. Furthermore, both these components are reliant on each other. Suppose if one of the factors is removed or altered, its repercussions will be faced by the entire ecosystem. Without a doubt, abiotic factors directly affect the survival of organisms. Read on to explore what role do abiotic and biotic resources play in the ecosystem. Also read:  Ecosystem Biotic Meaning The term “biotic” is formed by the combination of two terms, “bio” meaning life and “ic” meaning like. Thus, the term means life-like and is related to all the living entities present in an ecosystem. Biotic Factors Biotic factors relate to all the living things  in the ecosystem. Their presence and their biological by-products affect the composition of an ecosystem. Biotic factors refer to all living organisms from animals and humans, to plants, fungi, and bacteria. The interactions between various biotic factors are necessary for the reproduction of eac...

Biome is another name for a distinct type of ecosystem. Biomes are characterized by their climate, which determines the particular plants found there. The climate and the plants in a biome determine what animals live there. This article addresses the climate and biodiversity of one of Earth’s most diverse and iconic biomes: the tropical rainforest. Rainfall: The word “rainforest” implies that these are the some of the world’s wettest ecosystems. Rainforests generally receive very high rainfall each year, although the exact amount varies among different years and different rainforests. For example, South America’s tropical rainforests receive between 200 and 300 centimeters (80 and 120 inches, or 6.5 to 10 feet!) of rain in a typical year. Despite relatively consistent rain in these ecosystems, there are distinct dry seasons in some rainforests. Wet and dry seasons of tropical rainforests vary in their timing, duration and severity around the globe. Tropical rainforests also have high humidity; about 88% during the wet season and approximately 77% in the dry season. Temperature: Tropical rainforests are found near the equator, between the Tropic of Cancer (23°27’N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23°27’S). The equator receives direct sunlight. This steady flow of radiation produces consistently high temperatures throughout the year. A typical daytime temperature any time of year in tropical rainforests is 29°C (85°F), although temperatures can be much higher. In the majority o...

The two components of the biosphere are called the abiotic and the biotic. The abiotic, or nonliving, portion of each ecosystem includes the flow of energy, nutrients, water, and gases and the concentrations of organic and inorganic substances in the environment. The second component is the biotic, or living organism, portion, which includes producers, consumers, and decomposers. The major cycles that occur in the biosphere are the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, sulfur cycle, phosphorus cycle, and hydrological (water) cycle. biosphere, relatively thin life-supporting stratum of Before the coming of life, geosphere; it consists of the The biosphere is a system All life on Earth depends ultimately upon green Stated another way, the abiotic, or nonliving, portion of each ecosystem in the biosphere includes the flow of energy, nutrients, water, and gases and the concentrations of organic and inorganic substances in the environment. The biotic, or living, portion includes three general categories of organisms based on their methods of acquiring energy: the primary producers, largely green plants; the consumers, which include all the animals; and the decomposers, which include the microorganisms that break down the remains of plants and animals into simpler components for

What is the most important part of our planet, the main reason Earth is different from all the other planets in the solar system? If 10 different environmental scientists were asked this question, they would probably give 10 different answers. Each scientist might start with their favorite topic, from plate tectonics to rainforests and beyond. Eventually, however, their collective description would probably touch on all the major features and systems of our home planet. It turns out that no single feature is more significant than the others—each one plays a vital role in the function and sustainability of Earth’s system. There are five main systems, or spheres, on Earth. The first system, the geosphere, consists of the interior and surface of Earth, both of which are made up of rocks. The limited part of the planet that can support living things comprises the second system; these regions are referred to as the biosphere. In the third system are the areas of Earth that are covered with enormous amounts of water, called the hydrosphere. The atmosphere is the fourth system, and it is an envelope of gas that keeps the planet warm and provides oxygen for breathing and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. Finally, there is the fifth system, which contains huge quantities of ice at the poles and elsewhere, constituting the cryosphere. All five of these enormous and complex systems interact with one another to maintain the Earth as we know it. When observed from space, one of Earth’...

The Concept of the Ecosystem The Ecosystem and how it relates to Sustainability "I bequeathe myself to the dirt, to grow from the grass I love; If you want me again, look for me under your boot-soles." - Walt Whitman In this lesson, we will learn answers to the following questions: • What is an ecosystem, and how can we study one? • Is the Earth an open or closed system with respect to energy and elements? • How do we define "biogeochemical cycles," and how are they important to ecosystems? • What are the major controls on ecosystem function? • What are the major factors responsible for the differences between ecosystems around the world? 10/20/2017 Introduction In the previous lectures we have learned about the Earth and its environment, and we have learned about the diversity of life on the planet and about ecological interactions between species. Now we will combine these two basic components and consider how the environment and life interact in "ecosystems". But before that we should return to a topic introduced at the very start of class, which is that of sustainability and how we view it in terms of system science. Sustainability and System Science - The example of sustainability used at the start of class was to consider that I give everyone a dollar each time you come to class. The question was: Is that sustainable? In lecture we agreed that more information was needed to answer that question. For example, we needed to know how much money do I have, or the “stock” ...