Question

List four abiotic factors which affect different living beings.

Answer 1

Hint: The ecosystem has biotic and abiotic components. The abiotic components involve non-living things that are very crucial for the survival of living things in the ecosystem.

Complete answer: The abiotic system comprises the basic constituents such as water, soil, oxygen, carbon dioxide, sunlight, and other organic substances.
Water: Water is a universal solvent and is very important for survival. Water maintains the cell structure and shape. Water comprises 60-75 percent of the weight of the human body. A loss of only 4 percent of total body water results in dehydration and a 15 percent loss may be fatal. Similarly, a person without food could survive a month but would not survive 3 days without water. All life forms are regulated widely by this essential dependency on water. Similarly, a plant requires water for its growth. 
Oxygen: For most living organisms, oxygen is another essential abiotic element. Oxygen is used as an energy source by the cells. It gives cells the energy needed to perform important functions, such as to grow, respire, and reproduce. Without oxygen, human beings and other oxygen-using species will not be able to survive. Some organisms require oxygen for growth and are called aerobic organisms. Some organisms do not require oxygen for growth and these are called anaerobic organisms. Certain organisms can grow with or without oxygen and they are called facultative anaerobes. Most of the oxygen we obtain is from the photosynthesis process and 70% of Earth’s oxygen comes from the ocean.
Sunlight: Sunlight is Earth's principal source of energy, making it an incredibly significant abiotic element. For photosynthesis, sunlight is required, the process where plants use carbon dioxide and water to create sugar which is the food for plants. Plants are eaten by animals and humans. Without the sunlight, plants cannot survive and without plants, no animals can survive. As plants are the source of oxygen and food for almost all species.
Soil: Soil is considered an abiotic factor since it is composed mainly of small rock particles (sand and clay) combined with decomposed plants and animals. Plants draw water and nutrients from the soil using their roots. Soils vary from place to location – this can be a major factor in which plants and animals survive in a specific region.

Note: Global warming is an effect that results in climate change. This is because of human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, the use of large amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane results in an enhanced greenhouse effect. As a consequence, the land gets heated faster than the ocean, deserts are expanding and the evaporation rate is much higher due to which the various life forms are affected drastically.