Biotic and Abiotic Factors

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What is a biotic factor?

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A biotic factor is any living component that affects the population of another organism, or the environment. Examples include plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.

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What is an abiotic factor?

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An abiotic factor is a non-living component of the environment that affects living organisms. Examples include sunlight, temperature, water, and minerals.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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Give an example of a biotic factor in an ecosystem.

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An example of a biotic factor is the presence of predators, such as wolves in a forest ecosystem.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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Give an example of an abiotic factor in an ecosystem.

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An example of an abiotic factor is the amount of rainfall in a region.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

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How do biotic factors influence abiotic factors?

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Biotic factors can influence abiotic factors; for example, plants (biotic) can affect soil quality (abiotic) through their root systems and organic matter.

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How do abiotic factors influence biotic factors?

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Abiotic factors can influence biotic factors; for example, temperature (abiotic) can affect the metabolic rates of animals (biotic).

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

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Decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organic matter (biotic) and recycle nutrients back into the soil (abiotic).

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

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What is the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors?

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Biotic and abiotic factors interact in ecosystems; biotic factors depend on abiotic factors for survival, and abiotic factors can be influenced by biotic factors.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

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Define the term 'habitat'.

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A habitat is the natural environment in which a species lives, including both biotic and abiotic factors.

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What is biodiversity?

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Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, including the number of different species (biotic) and their interactions.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-5