biotóp

Biotóp, also written biotop or biotope in many languages, is a term used in ecology to describe the abiotic, physical environment that provides the conditions for a particular community of organisms. The word denotes the non-living component of a habitat—the surrounding climate, terrain, water, soil, light regime, temperature, and other chemical and physical attributes that shape which species can persist there.

The biotóp includes factors such as climate (air and water temperature, precipitation, humidity), substrate or soil type, water chemistry and depth, salinity, pH, nutrients, and the landscape’s topography and geomorphology. These abiotic conditions interact with the living components of the community, determining available resources, microhabitats, and the spatial arrangement of organisms within the space.

Biotóp is distinct from biocenosis, the living community that occupies the space, though the two concepts are closely linked within an ecosystem. Boundaries of a biotóp are not fixed; they depend on the scale of observation and the particular organisms of interest. Biotopes can be natural, such as a pond, a forest floor, or a coral reef, or artificially created, like a constructed wetland or green roof.

Common biotopes are found in freshwater, terrestrial, and marine environments. Examples include a shaded forest understory biotope with cool, moist air and acidic soil, a temperate grassland biotope with well-drained soil, or a coastal marine biotope characterized by tidal pools and varying salinity.

Understanding biotopes supports conservation and restoration by highlighting which abiotic conditions must be preserved or recreated to sustain target species and communities. Human disturbances that alter abiotic factors can degrade biotopes and disrupt associated biocenoses.