Abioottiset

Abioottiset are the non-living components of an environment that influence the distribution, abundance, and interactions of living organisms. In ecological usage, they are contrasted with biotic factors, which involve living organisms and their interactions. The term is commonly used in Finnish to refer to abiotic factors (abioottiset tekijät).

Key abiotic components include climate elements such as temperature, precipitation, and humidity; light availability and quality; water regime; soil properties such as texture, pH, and mineral content; atmospheric composition; wind; and aquatic salinity and dissolved oxygen. Physical factors such as relief, slope, elevation, and fire regime also play important roles.

Abiotic factors shape the potential niche of species, constrain physiological processes, influence germination and growth, and affect recruitment and survival. They contribute to ecosystem processes like primary production, decomposition, nutrient cycling, and energy flow by setting the conditions under which organisms operate.

Variation over space and time creates gradients that biodiversity responds to. Methods to study abiotic factors include weather and climate data analysis, soil and water sampling, and in-situ sensors and remote sensing.

Humans modify abiotic conditions through climate change, pollution, irrigation, and land-use changes, with consequences for ecosystems. Understanding abiotic filters is essential in conservation, agriculture, and habitat restoration.