Abiotic factors
Abiotic Factors are the non-living parts of an ecosystem that influence living organisms, including both physical and chemical elements. These factors play a significant role in the ecosystem and affect the biodiversity and survival of organisms.
Definition[edit | edit source]
Abiotic factors are the physical and chemical conditions of an environment. For example, the weather and climate of a region are abiotic factors, influencing the types of life that can survive there. Other examples include soil, sunlight, temperature, wind, and water.
Types of Abiotic Factors[edit | edit source]
Abiotic factors can be categorized into three basic types: climatic, edaphic, and social.
Climatic Factors[edit | edit source]
Climatic factors include sunlight, temperature, precipitation, wind, and humidity. These factors have a significant impact on the survival and reproduction of organisms. For example, sunlight is a major factor in photosynthesis for plants.
Edaphic Factors[edit | edit source]
Edaphic factors relate to the soil. They include soil composition, pH, minerals, moisture, and soil texture. These factors affect the types of plants that can grow in an area and, consequently, the animals that can live there.
Social Factors[edit | edit source]
Social factors are human-made conditions such as urban development, pollution, and deforestation. These factors can significantly alter an ecosystem and impact the organisms that live there.
Impact on Biodiversity[edit | edit source]
Abiotic factors play a crucial role in biodiversity. They determine the types of organisms that can survive in an ecosystem. For example, a desert ecosystem will have different abiotic factors (such as temperature and precipitation) than a rainforest, leading to different types of organisms being able to survive in each.
Role in Ecosystems[edit | edit source]
Abiotic factors are essential for the functioning of ecosystems. They influence how organisms interact with each other and their environment. For example, sunlight and temperature can affect the growth rates of plants, which in turn can impact the herbivores that rely on them for food.
See Also[edit | edit source]
 | This ecology-related article is a stub. You can help WikiMD by expanding it. |
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
|
WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia |
| Let Food Be Thy Medicine Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates |
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
Medical Disclaimer: WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The information on WikiMD is provided as an information resource only, may be incorrect, outdated or misleading, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. WikiMD expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site. By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, which may from time to time be changed or supplemented by WikiMD. If you do not agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, you should not enter or use this site. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD
