B4 - Abiotic Conditions

What are abiotic conditions?

They are physical, non-living factors that are in an environment.

They include;

- salinity (salt level)

- light

- quality of the soil

- temperature

- water (e.g. salt/fresh)

- oxygen level

How do abiotic conditions affect organism distribution?

Organisms have adapted to live in certain environments.

Therefore, if there was an ecosystem with part water and part land, then the water organisms like fish would only be found in the water, and land organisms like squirrels would only be found on land, whereas frogs could be found in both water and land.

Therefore, their distribution would differ depending on the ecosystem and the organism involved.

E.g. 1

Ferns are woodland plants, and are found in the shady parts of the wood, but not the more open and sunny parts like clearings.

E.g. 2

Mosquitoes can survive in warm climates, but would die in cold climates.