We explain what abiotic factors are, both physical and chemical, in an ecosystem. Difference with biotics, examples.
What are the abiotic factors?
Abiotic factors are all those elements of a physical or chemical nature that intervene in the characterization of a specific biotope or ecosystem. They are distinguished from biotic factors in that they have nothing to do with life or living beings, but with inanimate and environmental factors, such as the weather, the water, the light, the temperature or the nature of the soils.
The term abiotic is used in the biology and the ecology to designate everything that is not part of organic life as we know it. These elements present in the environment they are also called inert factors, such as geological or geographic.
A ecosystem determined is made up of the sum of these two types of factors: biotic (contemplated in the biocenosis) and abiotic (contemplated in the biotope). The interaction between both types of factors lies in the fact that abiotics shape the course of biotic evolution. This occurs through processes of adaptation or natural selection. On the other hand, biotic factors also alter the nature of abiotic ones.
For example: The salinity level of the waters The sea can affect the creatures that inhabit it, allowing those capable of adapting to proliferate. On the other hand, those that are not capable of adapting to changes in salinity levels will migrate to other regions or they will be extinguished.
Similarly, the proliferation of certain types of microorganisms It can increase or decrease the concentration of certain substances in the waters, modifying the chemical constitution of the same.
Physical abiotic factors
Abiotic factors of a physical nature are those related to the forces that act on ecosystems on Earth, for example:
- Sunlight. The main natural source of energy in the planet it is the sunlight. This is a form of electromagnetic emission from waves light (visible), infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV), which affect the temperature of large bodies of water, air and earth, which heat up and expand during the day, and cool and contract at night.
- Temperature. The temperature levels of any medium, whether aquatic, gaseous or terrestrial, affect the possible development of the life and in the type of relationships of a biotope. For example, in frozen arctic regions, life is scarcer and adapted to cold, as water freezes and forms large pieces of ice or permafrost (frozen ground) for much of the year.
- Atmospheric pressure. The pressure exerted by the mass of gas in the atmosphere on the different elements of an ecosystem is also a determining factor for its development. For example, the Pressure that the water exerts on the creatures that inhabit marine niches is immense, much greater than that which exists on the surface.
- The weather. The climatic region in which an ecosystem is located has great relevance in the processes that occur within it. If the region is warm and tropical, for example, there will be an abundant margin of precipitation, therefore a lot of humidity and great plant growth. In contrast, in desert regions plant life is scarce, due to the overwhelming heat.
- Relief. Another important physical abiotic factor is the relief of the region, since the altitude affects both the temperature and the atmospheric pressure (the higher the altitude, the lower the pressure and the lower the temperature).
Chemical abiotic factors
Chemical abiotic factors, on the other hand, have to do with the constitution of matter and the different reactions that take place with it within a given ecosystem. Some may be:
- pH. PH is a chemical property of media, such as water or soil. This factor allows you to determine your level of acidity or alkalinity, that is, the amount of ions of hydrogen dissolved in the different media. A very acidic or very alkaline medium is corrosive and, therefore, unfavorable for the development of organic life.
- Chemistry of soils. The amount and type of chemical elements that predominate in a type of soil are decisive when it comes to explaining properties such as fertility and water absorption.
- Chemistry of air. Life and most biotic processes have to do with the exchange of gases. For example, in the animal respiration oxygen is taken and produced CO2, while in the photosynthesis of the plants The opposite happens. Therefore, the characteristics of the air can facilitate or impede the development of an ecosystem, or subject it to specific conditions.
- Chemistry of Water. Elements such as salinity, the concentration of nutrients or oxygen and eventual pollutants determine the quality of the water to sustain life and, therefore, the type of ecosystem that takes place in it.