Ecosystem Dynamics: Biotic and Abiotic Factors
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Ecosystem Dynamics
An Ecosystem is a system formed by a group of organisms of different species or Biocenosis, the environment in which they live, and its physical and chemical characteristics or Biotope and the Interactions that are established between them.
Environmental factors are all the components of the ecosystem that have an Impact on the Biocenosis through their Presence or Variation.
Environmental factors determine:
- Distribution and Composition of the Biocenosis: the type and number of populations that make it up.
- How many organisms are present in each population.
- The Adaptations the organisms exhibit.
Types of Environmental Factors
Abiotic Factors
Are the Physical and Chemical components of an ecosystem, their variation, modifies the life of the organisms of the biocenosis.
Temperature, Light, Water, etc...
Biotic Factors
Are the interactions produced in the Biocenosis such as:
Death of individuals in a population caused by a plague, or the greater efficiency of wolves when they hunt as a pack.
In the environment, there are some limits, and when animals reach them, they have to make adaptations in their bodies and search other biotic factors.
Abiotic Factors
The principal abiotic factors are Temperature, Availability of Light or Water
- Temperature: Living things can only survive between 0°C and 50°C
- Availability of Light: it's an important factor because it's important to let organisms make fundamental functions like photosynthesis and with a high scarcity of light it could lead to extinction.
- Availability of water: is essential to perform photosynthesis. Without the minimum levels of water, life could be impossible.
Abiotic Factors In The Earth's Environment
There are 3 different zones:
- (+60°) Cold Zone: Area of high rainfall and high availability of Water.
- (60°-30°) Temperate Zone: Area of high rainfall and high availability of Water.
- (30°-0°) Warm Zone: Area of low rainfall and low availability of Water.
The light:
The position of the Earth varies in relation to the Sun, and that is the result of the number of hours in a day, the seasons and the latitude.