Final answer:
In the passage, the biotic factors are the steak and the potatoes, which are derived from living organisms - an animal and a plant, respectively. Other mentioned items like the wooden stool and ceramic dishes are abiotic factors and, therefore, not highlighted as biotic. The importance of biotic factors, such as potatoes, in ecology and human history is also discussed, including their role in the Irish potato famine.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked to highlight all of the biotic factors in the given passage. In ecology, biotic factors are the living components of an environment, which include organisms from the same or different species. Examples of biotic factors in the scenario provided would be the steak, since it comes from an animal, and the potatoes, as they are plant-based food. Both of these are derived from living organisms, making them biotic factors.
Contrastingly, abiotic factors refer to the non-living components such as sunlight, soil, and water which are also mentioned in the background information provided. The wooden stool, boiling water, and ceramic dishes mentioned in the passage are examples of abiotic factors since they are non-living and do not directly represent former living organisms.
To put it in context, potatoes as mentioned in the scenario, are significant biotic factors in human diets and ecosystems, as they are photosynthetic autotrophs and interact with abiotic factors like soil nutrients, water, and sunlight to grow. The Irish potato famine, caused by late blight of potato (Phytophthora infestans), illustrates the importance of biotic interactions, particularly how diseases can impact plant populations and subsequently human societies.