Biotic refers to something that is alive. When a living thing has an influence on its environment, it is referred to as a biotic factor or component.
Biotic refers to something that is alive. When a living thing has an influence on its environment, it is referred to as a biotic factor or component.
An ecosystem consists of interactions between biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors. Within an ecosystem, biotic factors can be divided into so-called functional groups. The producers are the organisms that build up their cell components using nutrients from the environment, such as algae and plants. Consumers are the organisms that eat plants and/or animals, such as tardigrades and toucans. And then there are also decomposers, organisms that eat dead plants and animals and convert them into new minerals and nutrients, such as some bacteria and soil fungi. Viewing interactions in another way, the relationship between predator and prey is also called a biotic factor, for example.