Which statement defines a biotic factor?

Which statement defines a biotic factor?

• A. Non-living factors of an environment that affect living organisms
• B. Living factors of an environment that affect living organisms
• C. The rate at which organisms respire
• D. The chemical composition of soil

Answer: (B)

Biotic factors are the living parts of an environment that influence how organisms live and interact. This includes other living things like plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and their interactions—predation, competition, symbiosis, disease, and nutrient cycling driven by living organisms. The statement that describes living factors of an environment that affect living organisms captures this idea, so it’s the best fit. By contrast, factors that are non-living—such as temperature, rainfall, and soil chemistry—are abiotic. A description of the rate at which organisms respire is a physiological process, not a factor in the environment itself, and the chemical composition of soil refers to a non-living property of the environment.

Biotic factors are the living parts of an environment that influence how organisms live and interact. This includes other living things like plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and their interactions—predation, competition, symbiosis, disease, and nutrient cycling driven by living organisms. The statement that describes living factors of an environment that affect living organisms captures this idea, so it’s the best fit.

By contrast, factors that are non-living—such as temperature, rainfall, and soil chemistry—are abiotic. A description of the rate at which organisms respire is a physiological process, not a factor in the environment itself, and the chemical composition of soil refers to a non-living property of the environment.