A biome, biotic factor, and abiotic factor are key concepts in ecology that help us understand ecosystems and how organisms interact with their environment.
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Biome: A biome is a large ecological area on the earth's surface, characterized by specific climate conditions, plants, and animals. Biomes can be classified by factors such as temperature, rainfall, and predominant vegetation. Examples of biomes include deserts, forests, grasslands, tundras, and aquatic environments like oceans and freshwater lakes.
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Biotic Factor: Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem that can influence the environment and the organisms within it. These include all forms of life such as plants, animals, microorganisms, and their interactions, such as predation, competition, and symbiosis. Essentially, biotic factors encompass the various relationships and activities that living organisms engage in within their environment.
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Abiotic Factor: Abiotic factors are the non-living physical and chemical components of an ecosystem that influence living organisms and their functioning. These factors include temperature, water, soil composition, sunlight, pH levels, and climate conditions. Abiotic factors can significantly affect the types of organisms that can survive in a particular biome and how they interact with the environment.
Together, biotic and abiotic factors define the characteristics of a biome and shape the interactions within ecosystems.