How Do Non-Living Organisms Affect Living Organisms?
Abiotic Factors Non-living organisms can also be called abiotic factors. This definition does not refer to organisms that were once alive who have died but rather to the non-living factors that make up the environment. This includes any non-living portions of the world, such as the sand in the desert or the water in a lake. These abiotic components could be seen as the foundation that life is built upon. Without the nutrients of soil and water, plants could not grow. Without plants growing, animals would starve all the way up the food chain. A Relationship The relationship between abiotic components and biotic (or living) components is usually called an ecosystem. However, the non-living factors provide many more limitations on the ecosystem than do the living organisms. For example, there is only so much nitrogen available in soil. Since nitrogen is a key ingredient in healthy plants, only so many plants can grow in this soil before there is not enough nitrogen left. This is called a
