Abiotic Components – Definition, Types & Significance

Abiotic Components are non-living elements of an environment that impact the associated living things. The term ‘Abiotic’ is made up of two words ‘A’ which means ‘without’ and ‘bio’ which means ‘life’. These are the non-living factors of an ecosystem that have profound impacts on the variety and abundance of life in an ecosystem. Soil, Water, Air, Sunlight, Temperature, are some of the most significant abiotic components. Without these abiotic factors, living organisms wouldn’t be able to eat, grow, and reproduce.

Abiotic components include inorganic substances, organic compounds and climatic conditions. Read on to explore more about different types of abiotic components and their importance.

What is an Ecosystem?

Eugene Odum defined an ecosystem as “An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows”.

An ecosystem is a functional unit consisting of all the living organisms (animals,  plants, and microbes) in a given area and all the non-living physical and chemical factors of their environment. Biotic and abiotic are linked through nutrient cycles and energy flows.

Components of an Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a self-sustaining, structural and functional unit of the biosphere in which living organisms interact with each other and also with the abiotic (non-living/physical) components like air, water and soil.

The components of an ecosystem are basically divided into two:

1. Biotic/Living Component
2. Abiotic/Non-Living Component

What are Abiotic Components?

Abiotic or physical components are the non-living components of the environment. The soil, water and air on the surface of the Earth constitute the physical environment. The climatic factors such as sunlight, rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind, etc., are also part of the abiotic environment. Abiotic factors play an important role in influencing the nature, behaviour and distribution of the living organisms in an ecosystem.

Fig: Abiotic Components

Types of Abiotic Components

The types of abiotic components are based on two factors. They are Climatic Factors and Edaphic Factors:

1. Climatic Factors

(a) Water: About \(70\% \) of the Earth’s surface is covered in water in the form of oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and ponds. Water is an important part of the composition of living things. About \(70\% \) of our body is also made up of water.

i. Water is the most abundant natural resource on the Earth’s surface. It is also the most important requirement of all living organisms.

ii. Several life processes such as germination of seeds, digestion and assimilation of food, excretion of waste products, absorption of nutrients, circulation of substances within the body and many more need the presence of water. All these chemical reactions which occur in the body of an organism need water as the medium.

iii. The amount of water in the habitat affects the kind of plants and animals found in that habitat.

iv. For example, desert regions that have a scarcity of water have less vegetation.

v. On the other hand, in places where there is plenty of rainfall, a large variety of plants can thrive, and tropical rainforests are formed. This provides a very rich environment for animals, and a variety of animals also thrive there.

vi. Water can dissolve gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. Water also contains dissolved salts and minerals. Thus both plants and animals can survive in water.

(b) Air: Air is a mixture of gases namely oxygen \(21\% \), nitrogen \(78\% \), carbon dioxide \(\left( {0.03} \right)\% \) and argon \(\left( {0.3} \right)\% \). Air also contains water vapour, dust particles, and it protects us from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays.

i. Life on Earth would be impossible in the absence of air. Plants take in carbon dioxide from the air and use it to make food. During this process, oxygen is released as a by-product.

ii. Oxygen is used by all living organisms for respiration. Oxygen is also used during combustion (burning).

iii. The carbon dioxide thus released during respiration, burning of fossil fuels and decaying matter is again used by plants for photosynthesis.

iv. The processes of respiration, combustion and photosynthesis help to maintain a balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air.

v. Nitrogen present in the air is converted into nitrates in the soil by microorganisms. These nitrates are absorbed by the plants and utilized in the synthesis of proteins.

(c) Light: Sun is the primary and ultimate source of light energy on the Earth. We get light and heat from the Sun.

i. Green plants are the only organisms that have the ability to capture and utilize solar energy for making food. This energy stored in the food prepared by the plants is passed on to all other living organisms through the food chain in nature.

ii. Light also influences plants and animals in various other ways. Opening and closing of the stomata, germination of seeds, flowering, movement of animals, sleeping and feeding are some of the many activities which are influenced by light.

iii. The behaviour of certain animals is also influenced by light. Most animals tolerate bright light, are active during the daytime and are called diurnal animals.

iv. Some like earthworms and cockroaches avoid light, are active at night and are called nocturnal animals.

(d) Temperature: The Earth’s surface has a wide variation in temperature. Each organism has a specific range of temperature which it can tolerate.

i. Most of the plants and animals live well between \({\rm{2}}{{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\) and \({\rm{4}}{{\rm{5}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\). Very high temperatures such as \({\rm{5}}{{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C – 7}}{{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\) destroy living cells, and very low temperatures below Orczes the cells. There are some bacteria that can survive even at \({\rm{ – 24}}{{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\) and as high as \({\rm{12}}{{\rm{0}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}\).

ii. Different organisms have different mechanisms to tolerate changes in their environmental temperature. For example, in deserts where the temperature is very high and there is a shortage of water, most plants have long roots which grow deep into the soil to absorb water. Many cacti have fleshy stems to store water. The leaves of cacti are reduced to spines to prevent transpiration.

iii. Some animals which cannot bear the winter cold go to sleep throughout the winter. This winter sleep is called hibernation. Example: frogs, snakes and lizards.

2. Edaphic Factors

The edaphic factors relate to the structure and composition of soil that affects the diversity of organisms living in the soil environment.

(a) Soil: Soil is a very prominent environmental factor because plants depend on it for many of their requirements.

i. The soil provides all the mineral nutrients needed for the growth and development of plants and animals. Plants also obtain water from the soil.

ii. Good soil contains a large variety of living organisms such as earthworms, insects, fungi and bacteria.

iii. It also contains humus consisting of dead and decayed remains of plants and animals and makes the soil fertile.

(b) \({\rm{pH}}\): The increase or decrease in \({\rm{pH}}\) also affects the living creatures.

i. In some parts of the world, there is an increase in acidity due to the increase in carbon dioxide. It has created an acidic condition.

ii. Urbanization along with industrial revolutionization is the major factor. Due to the increase in acidity, it is also found that the shell of the snail has also dissolved.

iii. Similarly, coral is also unable to survive in an acidic environment.

(c) Minerals: In geology and mineralogy, minerals are simply said as solid substances that are present in nature and can be made of one element or more elements combined together (chemical compounds). Minerals such as phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen found in soil support plant growth and development.

(d) Topographic: It includes height, the direction of slope, steepness of the slope. These factors influence the growth and development of organisms by bringing variations in climatic factors.

Fig: Types of Abiotic Components

Different Types of Ecosystem-based on Abiotic Components

An ecosystem may either be natural or artificial. There are different types of ecosystems that are based on abiotic factors.

1. The Forest Ecosystem: Abiotic components of the forest include: Inorganic and organic components present in the soil and atmosphere, and climate (temperature, rainfall, light, etc).
2. The Desert Ecosystem: Desert ecosystem occurs in regions with an annual rainfall of less than \({\rm{25}}\,{\rm{cm}}\). A significant portion of land, about \(17\% \), is occupied by the deserts. Desert ecosystems include semi-arid desert, coastal desert, cold desert etc. Becaues of high temperature, intense light and low water availability, flora and fauna are poorly represented.
3. Cropland Ecosystem: Cropland is an artificial man-managed ecosystem. Suitable abiotic conditions are provided in a cropland are humidity, temperature, moisture, wind, water, etc.
4. Grassland Ecosystem: Grassland ecosystems are found in both tropical and temperate regions of the world. The main vegetation is grasses, legumes and members of the composite family. The major abiotic factor is rainfall.
5. Freshwater Ecosystem: The abiotic components of the freshwater ecosystem are light penetration, temperature and \({\rm{pH}}\) of water.
6. Ocean/Marine Ecosystem: The abiotic factors which play a part in the oceans environment are salinity, heat, pollution, and many more. The ocean floor is the bottom area of the open sea. It is almost horizontal, and its normal depth is about \({\rm{6000 m}}\), but it may extend up to \({\rm{10,000}}\) metres.

Responses of Organisms to Various Abiotic Components

Abiotic conditions of many habitats may vary drastically with time, and the organisms living in such habitats adapt to stressful conditions by maintaining the constancy of their internal environment. This process to maintain a constant internal environment by an animal in its body despite drastic changes in external conditions needed for biochemical reactions and physiological functions is called homeostasis. There are several ways by which organisms can respond to adverse external environments. Some of them are listed below:

1. Regulators: Regulators possess a constant internal environment or homeostasis. They maintain their body temperature. The body fluids have a fixed osmotic concentration. They consume a large amount of energy. Regulators are more active and have a wide range of distribution.
2. Conformers: Conformers can only survive in habitats that provide their particular environmental conditions, although they conserve energy by not regulating.
3. Migrate: The organism can migrate temporarily from the unfavourable habitat to a more favourable area and return when the unfavourable period is over.
4. Suspend: Various kinds of thick-walled spores are formed in bacteria, fungi and lower plants which help them survive under unfavourable conditions.
   a. Polar bears go into hibernation during the winter season to escape the extreme cold. Some snails and fish undergo aestivation to avoid summer-related problems like heat and desiccation.
   b. Their metabolic rate comes to almost zero.
   c. Thick outer covering may also develop.
5. Diapause: Diapause is a suspension of development that can occur at the embryonic, larval, pupal, or adult stage, depending on the species. Diapause is an important means by which insects avoid unfavourable environmental conditions.

Summary

The environment refers to the sum total of all living and nonliving components surrounding an organism. The ecosystem is a self-sufficient interacting system in the biosphere. They may be terrestrial or aquatic. The abiotic components in an ecosystem are of two basic kinds: The climatic and edaphic factors. Rain, light, wind, temperature, etc., come under climatic factors. Soil, \({\rm{pH}}\), minerals, topography, etc., come under edaphic factors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Abiotic Components

Q.1. What are biotic components?
Ans: Biotic factors are the living components present in an ecosystem. More specifically, it involves all flora and fauna.

Q.2. What are the 5 abiotic factors?
Ans: The \(5\) abiotic factors are air, water, temperature, light, soil.

Q.3. What are the abiotic components of the ecosystem?
Ans: Abiotic or physical components are the non-living components of the environment. The soil, water and air on the surface of the Earth constitute the physical environment. The climatic factors such as sunlight, rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind, etc., are also part of the abiotic environment.

Q.4. Is water a biotic or abiotic factor?
Ans: Water is an abiotic component.

Q.5. What are \(5\) abiotic factors in a biome?
Ans: The \(5\) abiotic factors in a biome are as follows:
a. Rain
b. Wind
c. Humidity
d. Temperature
e. Soil composition

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