Question

Choose an organism that lives in an aquatic or terrestrial environment. Classify the organism as a producer, consumer or decomposer. Identify and discuss the biotic factors that affect the organism

Answer 1

Corals are producers in marine environments and are impacted by both biotic factors such as predation and symbiosis, and abiotic factors like light availability, water temperature, and water quality. These factors influence coral health and reef ecosystem structure.

Step-by-step explanation:

Classification and Impact of Biotic Factors on an Aquatic Organism

Consider a coral reef ecosystem and select the coral as an organism of interest. Corals are producers in marine environments; they harness energy from sunlight through photosynthesis to create organic materials. The biotic factors that affect corals include species interactions such as predation, competition, and symbiosis, particularly with zooxanthellae, which are photosynthetic algae that live inside the coral tissues. Additionally, corals are impacted by the presence of various fish and invertebrate species that may be part of the reef community.

Biotic factors play a crucial role in the life of corals. The symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae is essential for energy production in corals. Predatory interactions with organisms like the crown-of-thorns starfish can significantly damage coral reefs. Competitive interactions for space and light with other sessile reef organisms define the structure of the reef.

The abiotic factors affecting corals include light availability, which is essential for photosynthesis, water temperature, which can affect coral metabolism and lead to coral bleaching if too high, and water quality, which impacts the growth and reproduction of coral species. Changes in these abiotic factors can have significant effects on coral health and the overall structure of reef ecosystems.

Answer 2

An organism that lives in an aquatic environment is a sea turtle.

It can be entitled as a primary consumer. This is because they mainly feed on seagrass.

The following are the biotic factors that affect the Sea Turtle:

• Adult sea turtles are mainly prayed on by huge sharks. Tiger sharks, Killer Whales, and even octopuses are known to have an appetite for sea turtles.
• Other than this, hatchlings and eggs of sea turtles are often eaten by dogs, seabirds, raccoons, etc.
• Furthermore, even though eating turtles is not that prominent amongst humans now, people still eat them in places like Singapore and China.
• Lastly, harmful/poisonous coral, seaweed, and sea anemone may also affect sea turtles as a whole.