Abiotic component

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In biology and ecology, abiotic components or abiotic factors are non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems. Abiotic factors and the phenomena associated with them underpin biology as a whole. They affect a plethora of species, in all forms of environmental conditions, such as marine or terrestrial animals. Humans can make or change abiotic factors in a species' environment. For instance, fertilizers can affect a snail's habitat, or the greenhouse gases which humans utilize can change marine pH levels.

Abiotic components include physical conditions and non-living resources that affect living organisms in terms of growth, maintenance, and reproduction. Resources are distinguished as substances or objects in the environment required by one organism and consumed or otherwise made unavailable for use by other organisms.[1][2] Component degradation of a substance occurs by chemical or physical processes, e.g. hydrolysis. All non-living components of an ecosystem, such as atmospheric conditions and water resources, are called abiotic components.[3]

Factors

In biology, abiotic factors can include

tides.[5]
Consider the differences in the mechanics of
photosynthesis processes in certain high energy environments.[6][7]

Examples

Many

fungi have also evolved to survive at the temperature, the humidity, and stability of their environment.[8]

For example, there is a significant difference in access to both water and humidity between

temperate rain forests and deserts. This difference in water availability causes a diversity in the organisms that survive in these areas. These differences in abiotic components alter the species present by creating boundaries of what species can survive within the environment and influencing competition between two species. Abiotic factors such as salinity can give one species a competitive advantage over another, creating pressures that lead to speciation and alteration of a species to and from generalist and specialist competitors.[9]

See also

References

Wikiquote has quotations related to Abiotic component.
  1. ^ Ricklefs, R.E. 2005. The Economy of Nature, 6th edition. WH Freeman, USA.
  2. ^ Chapin, F.S. III, H.A. Mooney, M.C. Chapin, and P. Matson. 2011. Principles of terrestrial ecosystem ecology. Springer, New York.
  3. ^ Water Quality Vocabulary. ISO 6107-6:1994.
  4. ^ Hogan, C. Benito (2010). "Abiotic factor". Encyclopedia of Earth. Washington, D.C.: National Council for Science and the Environment. Archived from the original on 2013-06-08.
  5. ^ "Ocean Abiotic Factors" (PDF). National Geographic Society. 2011.
  6. PMID 23281598
    .
  7. ^ "Rubisco and C4 Plants" (PDF). RSC: Advancing the Chemical Sciences. RSC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  8. ^ "Abiotic Components". Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape. Archived from the original on 2005-04-25.
  9. S2CID 84867707
    .
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