Impacts of Abiotic Factors

The Impact of Abiotic
Factors on Living
Organisms
Abiotic Factors
• An abiotic factor is a non-living element of the environment that
influences the way organisms and ecosystems function.
• The abiotic environment supplies living organisms with many of the
things they need to survive: shelter, protection, food/ minerals, water,
essential gases.
• They affect the types and number of organisms that live in a particular
area.
• There are three main categories of abiotic factors:
1. Edaphic factors- Soil
2. Climatic factors- Atmosphere
3. Aquatic factors- Water
Edaphic Factors (Soil)
• Soil is a mixture of minerals, air, water, and organic matter (dead
plants and animals). Soil also contains living organisms (plant roots,
small animals and microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi).
• Soil not only provides a habitat for plant and animals but also supplies
these organisms with water, oxygen, and mineral nutrients.
Examples of organisms found in soil
o Ants
o Beetles
o Earthworms
o Snakes
o Millipedes/
Centipedes
o Snails/slugs
o Spiders
o Rodents
o Moles
Abiotic factors associated with soil
While soil itself is an abiotic factors, there are several
factors associated with soil that influences the number
and otype of organisms living there.
Water
o Air
o Minerals
o pH
o Humus content (top layer of soil -dead plants and
animal)
o Texture/Composition of soil
 Sand- light, dry, warm, low in nutrients
 Silt- light, holds water, high in nutrients
 Clay- heavy, wet, and high in nutrients
 Loam- Combination of all three
Climatic Factors (Air)
The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that surrounds the
Earth. It helps make life possible by:
o Providing us with air to breathe
o Shielding us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation coming
from the Sun
o Trapping heat to warm the planet.
o Without the atmosphere, temperatures would be well below
freezing everywhere on Earth's surface.
Abiotic factors associated with air
While air itself is an abiotic factor, there are several
conditions associated with air that affects the distribution
of plants and animals on land. These include:
o Light
o Temperature
o Humidity
o Water availability
o Wind
o Atmospheric gases.
Temperature
Most organisms can only survive within a certain, narrow temperature
range. At low temperatures, ice crystals may form in cells and damage
them. At high temperatures, enzymes are denatured(destroyed).
1. Temperature affects the rate of

photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration
and germination in plants.
2. It affects the activity of animals such as

those dependent on external temperature
to keep warm or cool.
Light
The intensity and duration of light is important to plant and animals:
1. All plants use sunlight for photosynthesis, the process whereby they make food. When
more light is available more for a longer period of time, the rate of photosynthesis
increases, more food is made more growth takes place, flowers grow bigger, fruits get
sweeter and crops flourish.
2. Light influences pigmentation in animals. For example, the darkly pigmented skin of
human inhabitants of the tropics.
3. The waking and sleeping patterns of many animals are affected by the changes in light
over 24 hours or during the year. Many animals naturally wake up when it gets bright
and go to sleep when it becomes dark. Nocturnal animals react in the opposite way. They
sleep during the day and wake up at night-time.
4. Many animals are also affected by the change of season. The length of daylight tells
some animals when to start migrating. When the hours of daylight become shorter,
some birds and animals will start flying or moving to warmer areas where they can find a
mate and breed. As they migrate, they will use the sun to help them find their way.
5. In some colder countries, the shorter days trigger hibernation in animals like the bear.
These animals eat a lot in the warmer months to build up fat before sleeping in a burrow,
cave or hole during the cold winter
Water availability
Terrestrial habitats receive water by precipitation from the
atmosphere as rain, snow, sleet and hail.
1. Water is important to photosynthesis, transpiration in plants. More water results in a higher rate of
photosynthesis and transpiration in plants.
2. Plants use water to dissolve minerals and nutrients from the soil surrounding the root system and
carry it up through the stems and leaves.
3. Water helps in the germination of seeds. When we sow seeds in soil the seeds drink water from the
soil and swell. The increased pressure breaks the seed coat and allows the seed to germinate.
4. Water provides habitat in the form of ponds, rivers, lakes and sea for a large number of plants and
animals.
5. Water regulates the body temperature and pH in animals and plants.
6. Water is a medium for all metabolic reactions in the body. All metabolic reactions in the body take
place in solution phase.
Atmospheric Gases
The atmosphere is a mixture of gases that surrounds the planet. We also
call it air. The gases in the atmosphere include nitrogen, oxygen, and
carbon dioxide. Along with water vapor, the atmosphere allows life to
survive. Without it, Earth would be a harsh, barren world.
1. Plants required oxygen and carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis and respiration respectively. Animals
required oxygen for aerobic respiration.
2. Gases in the atmosphere surround Earth like a

blanket, protecting living things from the Sun’s most
harmful rays. These gases reflect or absorb the
strongest rays of sunlight, keeping the temperature in
a range that can support life.
3. Without the atmosphere, there would be no clouds or

rain. In fact, there would be no weather at all. Most
weather occurs because the atmosphere heats up
more in some places than others.

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The Impact of Abiotic

1. Temperature affects the rate of

2. It affects the activity of animals such as

5. Water regulates the body temperature and pH in animals and plants.

2. Gases in the atmosphere surround Earth like a

3. Without the atmosphere, there would be no clouds or

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