abiotic factors
What abiotic factors means in Biology A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of abiotic factors
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain abiotic factors in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: OCR
Non-living influences such as light intensity, temperature, water availability and soil pH that affect which organisms survive and how the community is structured.
Factors that set the limit on population size, such as temperature and light affecting photosynthesis, and water and pH affecting growth.
Topics that use abiotic factors
- Populations in ecosystems (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Ecosystems (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- ecosystem
- abiotic components
- belt transect
- biomass
- Biotic factors
- Colonisation of bare ground
- community
- competitive exclusion
Using abiotic factors in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Biology questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge