Question

Give two examples of each biotic and abiotic components.

Answer 1

Hint: These are the components that form the basis of an ecosystem with their interaction in the environment. Both these components are interdependent on each other and reason for each other’s existence.

Complete answer:
An ecosystem can be defined as a functional unit of nature, where interaction between living organisms takes place among themselves and also with the surrounding physical environment. Every ecosystem has nonliving or abiotic and living or biotic components. Plants and fungi are examples of biotic components. Carbon dioxide and temperature are examples of abiotic components.
Additional Information:
Biotic components:. They include autotrophs, heterotrophs, and decomposers. Autotrophs are the producers who can manufacture their food from simple inorganic substances by fixing energy. E.g. Green plants, algae, chemosynthetic bacteria, etc. Heterotrophs are the organisms that cannot synthesize the organic nutrients for themselves and thus depend on producers or other consumers for their survival.
Heterotrophs can be divided into consumers and decomposers. Consumers are further classified into herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and detritivores based on their food source. Herbivores feed directly on producers. E.g. Cow. Carnivores feed on other animals. E.g Lion. Omnivores eat both plants and animals. E.g. Human beings. Detritivores eat detritus i.e. decomposing organic material. E.g. Earthworms.
Decomposers feed on dead organic matter by secreting enzymes to digest the organic matter and then absorb the resulting molecules. E.g. Fungi and bacteria. Both decomposers and detritivores derive nutrition from dead organic matter. The difference is that detritivores actually eat the organic matter but decomposers secrete enzymes for its breakdown and then absorb it.

Abiotic components: Temperature ranges in different parts of the earth. This has led to the presence of different climate zones such as tropical, subtropical, temperate, etc. Solar energy is an important source of light which provides heat as well the energy to the plants to carry out photosynthesis. Wind controls weather, transpiration, pollination, and dissemination of propagation. Humidity controls the formation of clouds, fog dew, etc. Precipitation may occur as rainfall, snow, dew which is again an important source of water refurbishing for groundwater, oceans in the water cycle.
Note:
- Biotic components are developed from the biosphere while non- biotic components are developed from the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere.
- The life of living organisms depends on abiotic factors as they directly affect their growth, survival, and reproduction.