Biottisten

Biottisten is a term that refers to biotic factors within an ecosystem. Biotic factors are the living components of an environment that interact with each other and with their abiotic surroundings. These factors include all living organisms, such as plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.

Examples of biotic factors include competition for resources like food and shelter, predation where one organism hunts and consumes another, symbiosis such as mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism, and disease transmission. The presence and abundance of different biotic factors significantly influence the structure and dynamics of an ecosystem. For instance, the population size of a predator directly impacts the population size of its prey. Similarly, the availability of plant life, a biotic factor, affects the herbivores that feed on it and, consequently, the carnivores that feed on those herbivores.

Understanding biotic factors is crucial for ecological studies and conservation efforts. By examining the relationships and interactions between living organisms, scientists can gain insights into ecosystem health, biodiversity, and the potential impacts of environmental changes. Conservation strategies often focus on protecting key biotic components or restoring ecological interactions that have been disrupted.