Final answer:
Environmental factors, including climate, habitat, and nutrient availability, along with biotic interactions like competition, determine the distribution and abundance of species in an ecosystem. In aquatic systems, processes like ocean upwellings affect nutrient distribution, while terrestrial life is limited by energy, water, and soil nutrients.
Step-by-step explanation:
Environmental factors significantly limit the distribution and abundance of species within an ecosystem. Climate and habitat attributes, such as temperature, rainfall, altitude, and nutrient availability, play crucial roles in where a species can live and how many individuals of that species can be supported by the environment. Biotic factors, including predation, disease, and competition for resources, also influence species distribution and abundance. In aquatic systems, abiotic factors such as ocean upwellings and seasonal turnovers are essential in regulating nutrients distribution, while in terrestrial environments, factors such as energy sources, water, soil, and inorganic nutrients set the limits for life. Net primary productivity is an important measure that reflects the amount of biomass a biome can produce and is deeply affected by these abiotic factors.