Question

Shawnta used several terms in her post that I want to be sure everyone understands. Ecology is studied with a hierarchy, similar to the hierarchy of classification. The lowest level is the individual. A group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area is called a population. All of the different populations that live in the same area make up a community. So far we have only been talking about the living organisms. When you add in the non-living components of an area you have an ecosystem. The living parts of an ecosystem are called the biotic components and the non-living parts are called the abiotic components.
What are some of the abiotic components that affect what can live in an ecosystem?