abiotic factor

American  

[ey-bahy-ot-ik fak-ter, abee-] / ˌeɪ baɪˈɒt ɪk ˈfæk tər, ˌæbi- /

noun

Ecology.

1. a nonliving condition or thing, as climate or habitat, that influences or affects an ecosystem and the organisms in it.

   Abiotic factors can determine which species of organisms will survive in a given environment.

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Usage

What is an abiotic factor? An abiotic factor is a part of an environment or ecosystem that isn’t alive.

Etymology

Origin of abiotic factor

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Temperature is an important abiotic factor affecting living things found in lakes and ponds.

From Textbooks • Sep. 6, 2018

In freshwater systems, stratification due to differences in density is perhaps the most critical abiotic factor and is related to the energy aspects of light.

From Textbooks • Sep. 6, 2018

An abiotic factor is any nonliving part of the environment, such as sunlight, heat, precipitation, humidity, wind or water currents, and soil type.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018

As you read, note how each abiotic factor causes the characteristics of each zone to be different and how this affects the type of organisms that live in each zone.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018

Wind can be an important abiotic factor because it influences the rate of evaporation and transpiration.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015