abiotic
Lacking living organisms
Abiotic describes the nonliving components of an environment—sunlight, temperature, water, soil, minerals.
In ecology, abiotic factors are distinguished from biotic (living) ones: Abiotic conditions in the desert include extreme heat and scarce rainfall.
The term appears in scientific contexts discussing how physical and chemical elements shape ecosystems.
Solid earthen material
- mineralNaturally formed crystalline solid
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- soilGround matter for planting
- sandFine rock particles
gravel · clay · granite · limestone · quartz · erosion · weathering · strata
Not alive, never was
- inorganicNot from living matter
- lifelessDevoid of animation
- inertInactive, physically or chemically
- nonbiologicalNot from living matter
physical · chemical · material · nonorganic · dead · insentient · unanimated · nonvital
Basic substance or factor
- compoundCombined into one
- nutrientLife-sustaining substance
- nitrogenElement seven, colorless gas
- phosphorusGlow-in-dark element
carbon · oxygen · pH · salinity · alkalinity · acidity · ion · mineral
Clear essential liquid
- salinityDissolved mineral concentration
- currentDirected flow of charge
- turbidityCloudiness from suspended particles
- depthDistance below surface
flow · groundwater · runoff · aquifer · watershed · streamflow · dissolved oxygen · lake
Measured heat intensity
- sunlightRadiance from our star
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
- humidityMoisture in atmosphere
- precipitationAtmospheric water deposit
wind · pressure · drought · frost · evaporation · seasonality · photoperiod · UV
Organism's natural environment
- environmentExternal conditions affecting life
- nicheRecessed wall space
- biomeMajor ecological community
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
limiting factor · carrying capacity · gradient · zonation · microclimate · substrate · disturbance · succession
rock
Solid earthen material
- mineralNaturally formed crystalline solid
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- soilGround matter for planting
sand · gravel · clay · granite · limestone · quartz · erosion · weathering · strata · tectonics
inanimate
Not alive, never was
nonbiological · physical · chemical · material · nonorganic · dead · insentient · unanimated · nonvital · abiogenesis
element
Basic substance or factor
phosphorus · carbon · oxygen · pH · salinity · alkalinity · acidity · ion · mineral · dissolved
water
Clear essential liquid
- salinityDissolved mineral concentration
- currentDirected flow of charge
- turbidityCloudiness from suspended particles
depth · flow · groundwater · runoff · aquifer · watershed · streamflow · dissolved oxygen · lake · river
temperature
Measured heat intensity
- sunlightRadiance from our star
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
- humidityMoisture in atmosphere
precipitation · wind · pressure · drought · frost · evaporation · seasonality · photoperiod · UV · solar
habitat
Organism's natural environment
- environmentExternal conditions affecting life
- nicheRecessed wall space
- biomeMajor ecological community
ecosystem · limiting factor · carrying capacity · gradient · zonation · microclimate · substrate · disturbance · succession · resource
- ecologyhabitat, ecosystem, balance, niche, food webs
- animacyanimate, inanimate, living, nonliving, alive
- artificialartificial, synthetic, man-made, manufactured, fabricated
- biogeographybioregion, species range, endemism, dispersal, native range
biology, biography, antibiotic, biotic, symbiotic, antibiotics, biochemistry, biota, bios