Difference between Abiotic and Biotic | Abiotic vs Biotic

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Paper : Science Differences FAQs | Platform : Vs or Differences FAQs | Category : General FAQs

Both Abiotic and biotic components together form the Ecosystem. All non-living components like air, water, sunlight wind, water are called Abiotic components, on the other hand living things in ecosystems like plants, animals, algae fungi are called Biotic components.

Abiotic Components

Abiotic  factors have three broad categories-

  • Climatic-Factors like sunlight, humidity, wind temperature are included in this category.
  • Edaphic –factors like soil characteristics and topography of land are included in this category.
  • Social –Factors included are mining, farming, afforestation, deforestation.
  • building dams etc.




Biotic Factors-It has three broad categories

  • Autotrophs -also known as food producers, prepare their own food through photosynthesis. These include water and land plants.
  • Heterotrophs-They cannot prepare their own food and is dependent on autotrophs or heterotrophs for food. These include humans, animals, fungi bacteria etc.
  • Detritivores-The organisms in these groups feed on dead and decaying plants and animals. They are also called decomposers



      Let us now illustrate the differences-

Abiotic

Biotic

These are the non-living components in the ecosystem.

These are living components of the ecosystem.

They are independent and have no dependency on other components for survival.

They have a dependency on abiotic components for survival.

Not able to adapt to changes.

Capable of adapting to changes.

They have 3 categories climatic, edaphic social.

They are categorized as producers, consumers and decomposers.

We can do the objective measurement of abiotic factors

We can do the subjective measurement of biotic factors.

Water, oil, land coal etc are abiotic resources.

Birds, Animal forests, marine resources are biotic resources.