Abiotic vs Biotic Factors

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Ecology Noun

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[ee-kol-uh-jee]

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Ecology

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The scientific study of the interactions among organisms and the relationships between organisms and their physical environment.

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Example: This chart shows that ecology involves studying how living (biotic) things like plants and animals interact with non-living (abiotic) things like water and sunlight.

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Biosphere Noun

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[bahy-oh-sfeer]

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Biosphere

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The part of the Earth's land, water, and atmosphere in which life exists and ecological systems operate.

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Example: The biosphere is the zone of life on Earth, where living things (biotic factors) exist in the air (atmosphere), on land (lithosphere), and in water (hydrosphere).

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Biotic Factor Noun

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[bahy-ot-ik fak-ter]

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Biotic Factor

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Any living component that affects another organism or shapes the ecosystem, including animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria.

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Example: This image shows six different categories of living organisms, including animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms, which are all examples of biotic factors in an ecosystem.

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Abiotic Factor Noun

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[ey-bahy-ot-ik fak-ter]

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Abiotic Factor

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A non-living chemical or physical part of the environment that affects living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems.

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Example: This diagram shows that abiotic factors are the non-living parts of an ecosystem by illustrating key examples like sunlight, water, soil, and temperature.

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Organism Noun

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[or-guh-niz-uhm]

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Organism

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An individual living entity, such as an animal, plant, or single-celled life form, that can function independently.

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Example: This image shows an amoeba, a single-celled living thing. As a living thing, it is an example of an organism and a biotic factor.

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Population Noun

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[pop-yuh-ley-shuhn]

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Population

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A group of individuals of the same species that are living in the same geographical area at a time.

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Example: This image contrasts a whole group (population) with a smaller selection from that group (sample), using generic human icons to represent the statistical concept.

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Community Noun

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[kuh-myoo-ni-tee]

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Community

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An interacting group of various species in a common location, representing the biotic components of an ecosystem.

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Example: This diagram shows a community of living things (biotic factors) like a plant, caterpillar, bird, and microbes, and how they interact through energy flow.

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Ecosystem Noun

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[ee-koh-sis-tuhm]

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Ecosystem

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A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment, including both biotic and abiotic components.

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Example: This image incorrectly shows a business diagram of an 'education ecosystem' instead of a natural ecosystem with living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) parts.

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Trophic Level Noun

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[troh-fik lev-uhl]

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Trophic Level

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The position an organism occupies in a food web, determined by its source of energy and food.

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Example: This diagram shows a food chain, where each organism represents a different trophic level, indicating its position in the flow of energy.

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Producer Noun

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[pruh-doo-ser]

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Producer

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An autotrophic organism that serves as a source of food for other organisms in a food chain.

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Example: This diagram shows how a producer (the plant leaf) uses abiotic factors like sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create its own food (glucose).