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Second Quarter – Module 5
Components of an Ecosystem:
Abiotic and Biotic Ecosystem

Have you wondered what it feels like to live without water, sunlight, and
air? Can you survive without these things? Maybe you are wondering how
important the water, sunlight, air and other abiotic components to organisms just
like you!
Abiotic and biotic components found in an ecosystem interact with one
another to maintain balance.
The light coming from the sun is important to plants for them to make their
own food. Animals such as cow, rabbit, goat and the like eat plants to gain
energy. Air contains oxygen that is produced by plants and trees which allows
animals to breathe. Plants need nutrients and other minerals from the soil for
them to grow. Ambient temperature is also important for proper growth of plants
as well as animals. Abiotic and biotic components of the environment work hand
in hand to maintain balance in our ecosystem. To provide each living organisms
the requirement for them to survive and reproduce.
After reading this module, you should be able to differentiate abiotic from
biotic components of an ecosystem. (S7LT-IIh-9)
Specifically you are expected to:

1. determine abiotic and biotic components in an ecosystem; and

2. compare abiotic from biotic components found in an ecosystem.

In going through this module, you will enjoy while learning with interactive
activities that you are going to complete. Read with comprehension the texts
inside this module to fully understand the concepts. Activities will be given to test
your understanding and follow the directions in the activities. Carefully answer
the entire given tests and exercises and write your answers in your Science
activity notebook.

Lesson Abiotic Components

1 of an Ecosystem
What is it?

Abiotic Components of an Ecosystem

Compare your lists of non–living things to the important abiotic

components which will be discussed in this lesson. Are they the same? If most of
your answers are the same with the abiotic components in this module, two
thumbs up!

Abiotic Components are non–living things which have important roles in the
survival of the living organism in an ecosystem. The most important abiotic
components are the following:

Water

 Water is life.
 All living things need water.
 50% of most living thing is composed of
water
 It is considered as universal solvent since it
dissolves other substances.
 It carries nutrients to cells and wastes away from them.
 Sunlight

 It is the main source of

energy on Earth.
 It is necessary for the
process of
photosynthesis.
 Animals and plants could
not survive without the
sun.
 It plays an important role
in the
production of
oxygen and to an
area’s temperature.

Air

 Humans, plants, and animals will not be able to survive without air.
 It is a mixture of clear gases like oxygen gas (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2),
nitrogen gas (N2), hydrogen gas (H2), and etc. that we breathe.

Soil

 It is made up of small particles of rock mixed

with decomposed living things like animals.
 It is where the plants get their water and
nutrients for growth and development.
 Its composition varies from one place to
another

Temperature

 It is an abiotic factor which is influenced by

the sunlight
 It varies from one location to another
 All plants and animals survive between a
minimum or maximum amount of
temperatures e.g. a Polar Bear cannot live
in a desert.
 influences which plants or animals can live
in an area.
What I Have Learned?
Activity 1
Directions: Answer the following questions correctly and write it in your Science
activity notebook. This is 5 points each.

1. How is it impossible for a polar bear to live in the Philippines?

2. Can an earthworm live in a soil full of harmful chemicals? Why?

What I Can Do

Activity 2: Complete Me
Directions: Answer the question correctly and write it in your Science activity
notebook. This is good for 10 points.

Abiotic components are very important because

 Lesson
Biotic Components of an Ecosystem
2

What is it?

Living organisms are all things on earth that have lives, like the tress, plants,
animals, including YOU! They are called biotic components. Bio comes from the
Greek word bios which means life. It literally refers to living organism.
Biotic components are the living things which help shape an ecosystem.
They affect another organisms, either as consumers or producers. Each biotic factor
needs energy to do the work, food for proper growth and human influence.
Biotic components include:

1. PRODUCERS (Autotrophs):
 Organisms that can make their own food by converting the energy from the
sun into food. Example: Plants
 Producers are called energy transducers. They convert solar energy into
chemical energy, with the help of organic and inorganic substances.
 The producers are called as autotrophic (auto = self; troph = nourishing)
organisms, these are organisms that can make their own food.
 They are capable of synthesizing food from non-living inorganic compounds.
 They are largely represented by green plants on land (trees, grasses, crops)
and phytoplanktons on water.

2. CONSUMERS (Heterotrophs):
 Organisms that cannot make their own food; they depend upon producers for
food. Example: animals
 Consumers are the organisms that feed on other organisms to survive. They
consume the food materials prepared by the producers (autotrophs). Hence,
consumers are called as heterotrophic organisms.
 Depending upon their food habits, consumers are classified into primary,
secondary and tertiary consumers.
 The PRIMARY CONSUMERS solely feed on plants. Herbivores are plant
eaters - grasshopper, rabbit, goat, sheep – these animals are primary
consumers.
 The SECONDARY CONSUMERS feed on some primary consumers.
o Carnivores - are flesh eaters. Example: Hawks ,Tiger and Lion
o Omnivores (Biophages) - eat both plants and animal flesh. Example:
cockroaches, fox, humans

Secondary consumers are those which predate on primary consumers.

  TERTIARY CONSUMERS are the predators of predators. They are mostly
larger animals. Example: A snake eats a rabbit, and the snake was eaten by
an eagle.

3. DECOMPOSERS (Detritus):
 Decompose or break down chemicals from producers and consumers into
simpler form which can be reused. Example: bacteria and fungi
 They are also called as micro consumers. They depend on dead organic
matter for their food. They are chiefly microorganisms like bacteria and
fungi. They break the complex organic matter found in plant and animal
bodies, and release simple substances. These substances will be used by
autotrophs once again.
 Earthworms use these dead organic matter for their food. They are called as
secondary decomposer.

Figure 2. Biotic Components of an Ecosystem

Source: (Freepik n.d.) The

illustration shows the relationship between producers, consumers, and

decomposers. The producer that is the tree, produces food for primary consumers
like the squirrel in the figure above. The secondary consumer that is the wolf eats the
primary consumer. Once the primary and secondary consumers die, their bodies will
decompose. The decomposition process takes place in the presence of bacteria and
other microorganisms.

The interactions between various biotic components are necessary for the
survival and reproduction of each species.
Assessment
Act Activity 3 Identify Life

Directions: Classify the following biotic components inside the box as producer,
consumer, or decomposer. Copy the table below and write your answer in your
science activity notebook. This is 10 points.
 Bacteria Spider
Carabao Goat
Grasshopper Fungi
Bird Coconut Tree
Mango Tree Banana

Know
Lesson Differentiating Abiotic and Biotic Me!

3 Components

You learn from the previous modules that abiotic components are the non-
living component of an ecosystem, whereas biotic components are the living
component of an ecosystem. Abiotic components include the sunlight, soil, water,
temperature, and air. On the other hand, biotic components include all the living
things that are found in an ecosystem.

In the table below shows the difference between abiotic and biotic
components of an ecosystem.
Abiotic Component Biotic Component

Definition Preceded by a prefix “a-” From the Greek word “bios”

which means “without”, which means life.
followed by the Greek Includes all living organisms
word “bios” which means found in an ecosystem.
life, Abiotic therefore
means “without life”.
It is the non-living
component or the physical
aspect of an ecosystem.

Components Sunlight, water, soil, Producers, consumers,

temperature, oxygen decomposers

Example Sunlight Grass

Function Sunlight is source of Grass serves as food by

energy of plants to make other living organisms like
their own food. herbivores (goat, cow, etc.)
 Illustration

Activity: Word Search!

Directions: Encircle the words listed below in your science notebook. Words appear
left to right, right to left, up and down, down and up, and diagonally. (An example is
done for you.)

abiotic biosphere ecosystem people

air biotic environment plants
animals components heat producers
atmosphere consumer living soil
bacteria decomposers nonliving sunlight

A B A T B C E T R I A R A A S S N
T D B A T A H B H L I M N N I B O
S A E T N P C M C E R S K I S C N
R P P C A O T T B A O H L M F H L
E R W E D B C A E D N M A G A I
S O B I O S P H E R E U I L H N V
O D L O E P H E A T I S O S J G I
P U S O I L P H I L E A T D E E N
M C C I H I E C O S Y S T E M S G
O E A L S V O O P C I T O I B A P
C R E L A I P A A I N T P L C A H
E S E E M N L N G E X P R E O T O
D I S T A G E N M C E R E A M M T
D I F F E R E N C E T S P B P O O
P A S T I O O S L O M V R I O S S
L A B V E R L I V I N G O O N H Y
A T M S I P H R E O P E D T E E N
N E C A T M O S P H E R E I N R T
T A N L A C O N S U M E R C T E H
S E S U N L I G H T I N G A S C E

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Module 5.

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