Biotic and abiotic factors are interrelated. If one factor is changed or removed, it impacts the availability of other resources within the system.

Biotic Factors
Biotic, meaning of or related to life, are living factors. Plants, animals, fungi, protist and bacteria are all biotic or living factors.

Abiotic Factors
Abiotic, meaning not alive, are nonliving factors that affect living organisms. Environmental factors such habitat (pond, lake, ocean, desert, mountain) or weather such as temperature, cloud cover, rain, snow, hurricanes, etc. are abiotic factors.

A System
Biotic and abiotic factors combine to create a system or more precisely, an ecosystem. An ecosystem is a community of living and nonliving things considered as a unit.

The Impact of Changing Factors
If a single factor is changed, perhaps by pollution or natural phenomenon, the whole system could be altered. For example, humans can alter environments through farming or irrigating. While we usually cannot see what we are doing to various ecosytems, the impact is being felt all over. For example, acid rain in certain regions has resulted in the decline of fish population.

Science/How Living Things Interact with their Environment

Standard 2: The student understands the consequences of using limited natural resources. (SC.G.2.3)

Objective 2: Knows that all biotic and abiotic factors are interrelated and that if one factor is changed or removed, it impacts the availability of other resources within the system.

Amusement Park Activity

Abiotic and Biotic Factors - You are a scientist who is studying the ecosystem of an amusement park. List all the abiotic and biotic factors in this ecosystem. Identify at least five relationships. Identify how a change in one abiotic factor would impact other factors in the amusement park ecosystem.

After the success of Disneyland
many theme parks tried and
failed to emulate Disney's success.
Leave it to a Texan to break
the trend The first Six Flags
was built in 1961 in Texas.

Vocabulary

Biotic - Of or having to do with
life or living organisms.

Abiotic- consists of
non-living things.

Ecosystem - A community of living
and non living things together
in a specific location. The
everglades is an example of a
large ecosystem.

Links

Biology On-line This website
covers biology, including biotic
and abiotic factors and their
relationships to each other.

Analysis of Biotic and Abiotic
Factors in Human-Altered
Environments Check this site out.
A group of teachers explore
what humans have done to
several environments through
cattle grazing and more.