Name:______________________

Hour:___________________

Abiotic vs. Biotic Factors

What is the definition of an abiotic factor?
_____________________________________________________________________
What is the definition of a biotic factor?
____________________________________________________________________________

Enter the items from the following list into a Venn diagram.
In the center place items that as a whole are considered both biotic and abiotic
Whale
Clouds
Mushroom
Snail
Water
Rainforest
Desert
Ocean
Paper
Oxygen
Glass
Mold
Temperature
Grass
Clock
Rocks
Sand

Deeper level thinking

All biotic and abiotic factors are interrelated. In nature you will find that if one factor is changed or
removed, it impacts the availability of other resources within the system. Knowing this, give an example
of what might happen given the following situations.
Also, in the areas with the (___), place either an A for abiotic or B for biotic.

1. All of the cacti (___) are removed from a desert ecosystem, what would happen to the population of
cactus dwelling birds (___) and in turn the animals which they eat?
2. A ten mile area of trees (___) is removed from the tropical rainforest. How will this affect the amount
of carbon dioxide (___) in the area?

INSTRUCTIONS:
On the back of this page, draw an ecosystem. In your drawing include the following:
6 different biotic factors
3 different abiotic factors
Your picture should make sense. Ex.) There wouldnt be a polar bear in a sand desert!
Identify all 9 factors and label whether it is a biotic or abiotic factor.
Be creative!