Science Ecosystem PDF

# Ecosystems ## An Ecosystem and Its Components Look at the following image of an ecosystem. - **cattail** - **dragonfly** - **deer** How could we classify the components of an ecosystem? If you look at the image, you will see that there are always two fundamental components: **biotic factors**,...

# Ecosystems ## An Ecosystem and Its Components Look at the following image of an ecosystem. - **cattail** - **dragonfly** - **deer** How could we classify the components of an ecosystem? If you look at the image, you will see that there are always two fundamental components: **biotic factors**, which are all living things in an ecosystem, and **abiotic factors**, which are all the nonliving things in an ecosystem. ### Biotic Factors The biotic factors of an ecosystem are all the living things that live in it. Different types of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria are all biotic factors. **Tip** Inert and nonliving aren't the same. Nonliving things have never been alive. Inert things don't move. ### Abiotic Factors Abiotic factors are all the nonliving things in an ecosystem, like water, air, rocks, light and temperature. All these factors are necessary for living things to live and develop. In an ecosystem, there is not a single organism that exists **isolated** from its environment: an organism may not interact with other organisms, but it always interacts with the abiotic factors that surround it. Biotic and abiotic factors always interact.