Biotic and abiotic factors

4 biotic factors

Availability of food

Arrival of a new predator

Competition

New pathogens

Availability of Food

All animals eat other living organisms (plants, animals etc).However all sources of food whether animals or plants are biotic factor

If the availability of food falls, then the number of organisms in the Community will also fall

Arrival of a new predator

Can cause the population of a prey species to fall

Can also affect existing Predators for example if they are competing for the same prey

Competition

If a species is outcompeted then it’s Population can fall so much that Numbers are no longer sufficient to breed and species may become extinct

New pathogens

If an infectious disease emerges and spreads it can wipe out a population of a species

7 abiotic factors

Light intensity

Temperature

Water

pH of soil

Mineral context of soil

Wund intensity and direction

Carbon dioxide ans Oxygen

Light intensity

All plants need light for photosynthesis

If light intensity is too low then the rate of photosynthesis falls and plants wil grow more slowly

If plants grow more slowly then animals which feed on plants may not have enough good

Temperature

If the temperature of an environment changes then this could cause the distribution of species to change(animal migration and plant species disappear from area)

Water

Both plants and animals need water to survive

Many species are adapted to Deal with low levels of water

pH of soil

Many plants cannot grow on soil which is too acidic or too alkaline

Mineral content of soil

Plants need certain Minerals in the soil( eG Nitrate which is used to make amino acids for proteins

Wind intensity and direction

Affects plants as for example strong winds blowing Inland from the sea can cause plants to lose water

Carbon dioxide

Needed for plants to photosynthesis and if carbon dioxide levels decrease then the rate of photosynthesis decreases

Oxygen

Needed for aerobic respiration

Levels of Oxygen in air remain fairly constant

Level of dissolved Oxygen in water can fall for example on hot days being harmful to aquatic organisms