In biology and ecology, abiotic components or abiotic factors are non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems. Abiotic factors and the phenomena associated with them underpin biology as a whole. They effect a plethora of species, in all forms of environmental conditions such as marine or land animals. We humans can make or change abiotic factors in a species' environment. For instance, fertilisers can effect a snail's habitat, or the greenhouse gases which humans utilise can change marine pH levels.
Abiotic components include physical conditions and non-living resources that affect living organisms in terms of growth, maintenance, and reproduction. Resources are distinguished as substances or objects in the environment required by one organism and consumed or otherwise made unavailable for use by other organisms.[1][2]
Component degradation of a substance occurs by chemical or physical processes, e.g. hydrolysis. All non-living components of an ecosystem, such as atmospheric conditions and water resources, are called abiotic components.[3]
Examples[edit]
In biology, abiotic factors can include water, light, radiation, temperature, humidity, atmosphere, acidity, and soil. The macroscopic climate often influences each of the above. Pressure and sound waves may also be considered in the context of marine or sub-terrestrial environments.[4] Abiotic factors in ocean environments also include aerial exposure, substrate, water clarity, solar energy and tides.[5] Consider the differences in the mechanics of C3, C4, and CAM plants in regulating the influx of carbon dioxide to the Calvin-Benson Cycle in relation to their abiotic stressors. C3 plants have no mechanisms to manage photorespiration, whereas C4 and CAM plants utilize a separate PEP Carboxylase enzyme to prevent photorespiration, thus increasing the yield of photosyntheticprocesses in certain high energy environments.[6][7]
Many Archea require very high temperatures, pressures or unusual concentrations of chemical substances such as sulfur; this is due to their specialization into extreme conditions. In addition, fungi have also evolved to survive at the temperature, the humidity, and stability of their environment.[8]
For example, there is a significant difference in access in both water and humidity between temperate rain forests and deserts. This difference in water availability causes a diversity in the organisms that survive in these areas. These differences in abiotic components alter the species present both by creating boundaries of what species can survive within the environment, as well as influencing competition between two species. Abiotic factors such as salinity can give one species a competitive advantage over another, creating pressures that lead to speciationand alteration of a species to and from generalist and specialist competitors.[9]
See also[edit]
 | Wikiquote has quotations related to: Abiotic component |
- Biotic component, a living part of an ecosystem that affects and shapes it.
- Abiogenesis, the gradual process of increasing complexity of non-living into living matter.
- Nitrogen cycle
- Phosphorus cycle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiotic_component
An ecosystem model is an abstract, usually mathematical, representation of an ecological system (ranging in scale from an individual population, to an ecological community, or even an entire biome), which is studied to better understand the real system.[2]
Using data gathered from the field, ecological relationships—such as the relation of sunlight and water availability to photosynthetic rate, or that between predator and prey populations—are derived, and these are combined to form ecosystem models. These model systems are then studied in order to make predictions about the dynamics of the real system. Often, the study of inaccuracies in the model (when compared to empirical observations) will lead to the generation of hypotheses about possible ecological relations that are not yet known or well understood. Models enable researchers to simulate large-scale experiments that would be too costly or unethical to perform on a real ecosystem. They also enable the simulation of ecological processes over very long periods of time (i.e. simulating a process that takes centuries in reality, can be done in a matter of minutes in a computer model).[3]
Ecosystem models have applications in a wide variety of disciplines, such as natural resource management,[4] ecotoxicology and environmental health,[5][6] agriculture,[7] and wildlife conservation.[8] Ecological modelling has even been applied to archaeology with varying degrees of success, for example, combining with archaeological models to explain the diversity and mobility of stone tools.[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem_model
Ecological Modelling is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the use of ecosystem models in the field of ecology. It was founded in 1975 by Sven Erik Jørgensen[1] and is published by Elsevier. The current editor-in-chief is Brian D. Fath (Towson University). According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2016 impact factor of 2.363.[2]
Ecological Modelling
Discipline Theoretical ecology
Language English
Edited by Brian D. Fath
Publication details
History 1975–present
Publisher Elsevier
Frequency Monthly
Impact factor 2.363 (2016)
Standard abbreviations
ISO 4 Ecol. Model.
Indexing
CODEN ECMODT
ISSN 0304-3800
LCCN sf89091049
OCLC no. 780565190
Links
Journal homepage
Online archive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_Modelling
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