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Definition

noun, plural: abiotic factors

A non-living chemical or physical factor in the environment, such as soil, pH, forest fire, etc.

Supplement

Abiotic factors may be grouped into the following main categories:

• climatic factors - include sunlight, humidity, temperature, atmosphere, etc.
• edaphic factors - include the nature and type of the soil, geology of the land, etc.
• social factors - include land use, water resources, etc.

Abiotic factors are further investigated in the freshwater ecology tutorial.

Word origin: a- meaning “not,” “without” + biotic: Gk biōtikós of, pertaining to life; factor: late ME facto(u)r < L factor maker, perpetrator.

Compare: biotic factor.