Home  »  Abiotic Factors in the Environment

Abiotic Factors in the Environment

Life thrives in different habitats but in order for organisms to live in each place, they must be adapted to the abiotic factors present in those environments.

Life depends on energy transformation and so must require an energy source to live. Solar energy captured through photosynthesis powers most ecosystems but you can say that different environments have different tolerances and requirements for life. For instance, those that live in the abyss of oceans or the organisms in deep cave communities may not be directly reliant on light.

introduction to ecology 2
© FilipiKnow

Temperature is another important abiotic factor because of its effects on metabolism and we have also discussed how extreme temperatures could be destructive to cells. Water is essential to all life with dehydration being a major danger to terrestrial organisms while aquatic organisms, by their nature, have to maintain normal solute concentrations.

The distribution of photosynthetic organisms and autotrophs, in general, is highly influenced by the availability of inorganic nutrients. Oxygen may be plentiful in the land, but aquatic organisms require it to be dissolved in water. Salinity, current, and tides may also play a role in aquatic ecosystems. Wind, meanwhile, is often another important abiotic factor in terrestrial environments. So really, different abiotic factors play a major or minor role depending on the requirements of the organism and the environment they are living in.

Among the abiotic factors is the effect of climate on the planet. Hence, in the next topic, we will look into the influence of climate on ecological communities.

 

Next topic: Climate and the Environment

Return to the main article: The Principles of Ecology

 

Download Article in PDF Format.

Test Yourself!

1. Practice Questions [PDF Download]

2. Answer Key [PDF Download]

Copyright Notice

All materials contained on this site are protected by the Republic of the Philippines copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published, or broadcast without the prior written permission of filipiknow.net or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright, or other notice from copies of the content. Be warned that we have already reported and helped terminate several websites and YouTube channels for blatantly stealing our content. If you wish to use filipiknow.net content for commercial purposes, such as for content syndication, etc., please contact us at legal(at)filipiknow(dot)net

FILIPIKNOW® is a registered trademark of the owner of Pacific Pact with Registration No. 4/2019/00504365. All content is copyrighted.
Terms of Service & Privacy Policy About Filipiknow Facts & Figures