Final answer:
Biotic factors are indeed the living components of an ecosystem, and they interact with abiotic factors like sunlight and water. Ecosystems, Biospheres, and Biomes have both biotic and abiotic components. The Earth has one biosphere, and there are multiple plankton species existing at different water depths.
Step-by-step explanation:
Biotic factors are indeed the living components of an ecosystem. This includes not only organisms from the same species but also from different species that interact within a habitat. These living components, along with abiotic factors such as sunlight, soil, temperature, and water, make up an ecosystem.
Addressing the CHAPTER SUMMARY REVIEW questions:
- Ecosystems, Biospheres, and Biomes all have both abiotic and biotic components. A Community also encompasses biotic components, but Population is typically used to describe individuals of the same species and does not inherently include abiotic factors.
- The statement that Earth has several types of biospheres is False. Earth has one biosphere that includes all of Earth's ecosystems.
- The statement that there is one species of plankton, and it lives near the surface of the water, is False. There are many plankton species found at various depths of water bodies.
The study of ecology includes the examination of biotic and abiotic factors, which are crucial in understanding the interactions within an ecosystem. For instance, animals (biotic factors) need oxygen to breathe (abiotic factor), and plants (biotic factor) require carbon dioxide and water (abiotic factors) to perform photosynthesis.