Abiotic stress is defined as the negative impact of non-living factors on the living organisms in a

specific environment.[1] The non-living variable must influence the environment beyond its normal
range of variation to adversely affect the population performance or individual physiology of the
organism in a significant way.[2]
Whereas a biotic stress would include such living disturbances as fungi or harmful insects, abiotic
stress factors, or stressors, are naturally occurring, often intangible, factors such as intense sunlight
or wind that may cause harm to the plants and animals in the area affected. Abiotic stress is
essentially unavoidable. Abiotic stress affects animals, but plants are especially dependent on
environmental factors, so it is particularly constraining. Abiotic stress is the most harmful factor
concerning the growth and productivity of cropsworldwide.[3] Research has also shown that abiotic
stressors are at their most harmful when they occur together, in combinations of abiotic stress
factors.[4]
Contents
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1 Examples
2 Effects
o 2.1 Benefits
o 2.2 Detriments
3 In plants
4 In animals
5 In endangered species
6 See also
7 References

Examples[edit]
Abiotic stress comes in many forms. The most common of the stressors are the easiest for people to
identify, but there are many other, less recognizable abiotic stress factors which affect environments
constantly.[5]
The most basic stressors include:

High winds[5]

Extreme temperatures[5]

Drought[5]

Flood[5]

Other natural disasters, such as tornadoes and wildfires.[5]

Lesser-known stressors generally occur on a smaller scale. They include: poor edaphic conditions
like rock content and pH levels, high radiation, compaction, contamination, and other, highly specific
conditions like rapid rehydration during seed germination.[5]

Effects[edit]
Abiotic stress, as a natural part of every ecosystem, will affect organisms in a variety of ways.
Although these effects may be either beneficial or detrimental, the location of the area is crucial in
determining the extent of the impact that abiotic stress will have. The higher the latitude of the area
affected, the greater the impact of abiotic stress will be on that area. So, a taiga or boreal forest is at
the mercy of whatever abiotic stress factors may come along, while tropical zones are much less
susceptible to such stressors.[6]

Benefits[edit]
One example of a situation where abiotic stress plays a constructive role in an ecosystem is in
natural wildfires. While they can be a human safety hazard, it is productive for these ecosystems to
burn out every once in a while so that new organisms can begin to grow and thrive. Even though it is
healthy for an ecosystem, a wildfire can still be considered an abiotic stressor, because it puts an
obvious stress on individual organisms within the area. Every tree that is scorched and each bird
nest that is devoured is a sign of the abiotic stress. On the larger scale, though, natural wildfires are
positive manifestations of abiotic stress.[7]
What also needs to be taken into account when looking for benefits of abiotic stress, is that one
phenomenon may not affect an entire ecosystem in the same way. While a flood will kill most plants
living low on the ground in a certain area, if there is rice there, it will thrive in the wet conditions.
Another example of this is in phytoplankton and zooplankton. The same types of conditions are
usually considered stressful for these two types of organisms. They act very similarly when exposed
to ultraviolet light and most toxins, but at elevated temperatures the phytoplankton reacts negatively,
while the thermophilic zooplankton reacts positively to the increase in temperature. The two may be
living in the same environment, but an increase in temperature of the area would prove stressful only
for one of the organisms.[2]
Lastly, abiotic stress has enabled species to grow, develop, and evolve, furthering natural selection
as it picks out the weakest of a group of organisms. Both plants and animals have evolved
mechanisms allowing them to survive extremes.[8]

Detriments[edit]

The most obvious detriment concerning abiotic stress involves farming. It has been claimed by one
study that abiotic stress causes the most crop loss of any other factor and that most major crops are
reduced in their yield by more than 50% from their potential yield.[9]
Because abiotic stress is widely considered a detrimental effect, the research on this branch of the
issue is extensive. For more information on the harmful effects of abiotic stress, see the sections
below on plants and animals.