Question

Which explains why a fallen, rotting tree is considered a biotic factor and not an abiotic factor? ("living things and the environment")

Answer 1

It was once alive.

Step-by-step explanation:

Biotic factors are defined as the part of ecosystem which is alive, for example: birds, trees or plants, and humans and abiotic factors are the part of ecosystem which are not alive, for example: stone, rivers, and mountains.

A fallen, rotting tree is considered a biotic factor because it was once alive and was not dead from the beginning. Whereas abiotic factors are dead from the beginning and never lived.

Hence, the correct answer is "It was once alive."