

An example of such a plant is the Venus flytrap. Also, some plants are “ carnivorous”, obtaining food by capturing animals (e.g. Nevertheless, plants require CO 2 for food production that they derive from natural sources, including from animals that breathe it out during exhalation ( respiration). They produce their own food by photosynthesis. Their dependency, however, on other biotic factors, in terms of food is not as extensive as the animals that hunt and prey. Plants are also biotic factors in an environment. For example, a deer itself is the biotic factor for predators, however, it depends on plants for survival. In an ecosystem, it is common that one biotic factor is dependent on another biotic factor to survive. They get their energy and nutrition from their environment.

Both the biotic and abiotic factors play their role to create a unique ecosystem.Īs it is clear now that the biotic factor refers to a living thing, thus it is obvious that they need a certain amount of energy, food, and environment to function properly. In a river or sea, the biotic factor examples include fish, aquatic plants, algae, and amphibians. The interaction between animals in an ecosystem shapes its environment. Biotic factors are the living components, such as bacteria, birds, and any other living things present in an ecosystem. This article is focused on the biotic factors that shape an ecosystem. The abiotic factors include the physical and chemical factors, such as sunlight, water, temperature, and other non-living components of an ecosystem. They interact and function together as a unit. They are also referred to as the biotic factors and abiotic factors, respectively. An ecosystem consists of all living organisms and the physicochemical components. The term “biotic” means “of or related to living organisms”.
