Final answer:
Sea otters are affected by abiotic factors like dissolved oxygen, water temperature, salinity, currents, and tides, as well as biotic factors such as prey, predators, and other organisms. Dissolved oxygen levels are higher in colder waters, which is beneficial to sea otters. Biotic interactions involve their food web and relationships with other marine life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Abiotic and Biotic Factors of Sea Otters
Sea otters are marine mammals that depend on a combination of abiotic factors and biotic factors in their environment. Abiotic factors influential to sea otters include dissolved oxygen, water temperature, salinity, currents, and tidal changes. Cold water tends to have more dissolved oxygen, which is vital for sea otters' health, while salinity and water movement affect the ecosystems they live in and their prey availability.
Biotic factors include other living organisms within the sea otters' environment. This encompasses their prey, such as sea urchins, crabs, and fish, as well as other sea otters, predators, and competitors. Additionally, biotic factors involve bacteria, fungi, and plants which can have both competitive and symbiotic relationships with sea otters.
Ecology studies how these abiotic and biotic factors interact. For example, sea otters need oxygen (an abiotic factor) to breathe and rely on various marine organisms (biotic factors) for food. These complex interactions help maintain the health of the marine ecosystems in which sea otters reside.