Abiotic variables found in terrestrial ecosystems can include things like rain, wind, temperature, altitude, soil, pollution, nutrients, pH, types of soil, and sunlight. The boundaries of an individual abiotic factor can be just as unclear as the boundaries of an ecosystem.These are often referred to as abiotic factors. Abiotic factors are non-living elements found within an ecosystem. There are six abiotic factors that affect plant growth: air, water, space, temperature, light and soil (nutrients).The two most important abiotic factors affecting plant primary productivity in an ecosystem are temperature and moisture.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE[ edit ]
Identify the abiotic factors that affect plant growth
KEY POINTS[ edit ]
Primary production, on which almost all of life on earth is dependent, occurs through either photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Annual biomass production, used to estimate net primary productivity by plants in an area, is directly influenced by an environment's abiotic factors, which include temperature and moisture. Warm and wet climates have the greatest amount of plant biomass because they offer conditions in which photosynthesis, plant growth, and the resulting net primary productivity are highest. TERMS[ edit ]
biomass the total mass of all living things within a specific area, habitat, etc.
eco-region a region, smaller than an ecozone, that contains a distinct biodiversity of flora and fauna
chemosynthesis the production of carbohydrates and other compounds using the oxidation of chemical nutrients as a source of energy rather than sunlight; it is limited to certain bacteria and fungi
Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms! a process called FISSION.
This generates heat to produce steam, which is used by a turbine generator to generate electricity. Because nuclear power plants do not burn fuel, they do not produce greenhouse gas emissions.
Answer: The amniotic egg was an evolutionary invention that allowed the first reptiles to colonize dry land more than 300 million years ago. Fishes and amphibians must lay their eggs in water and therefore cannot live far from water. But thanks to the amniotic egg, reptiles can lay their eggs nearly anywhere on dry land.
The placement of the arrows in a food chain or food web is very important. The arrows always show the direction of the energy as it is transferred from one organism to another. The flow of energy can also be represented within an energy pyramid.