Abiotic Factors – Abiotic characteristics of aquatic and terrestrial environments

Resource Description

Characteristic Aquatic Environment Terrestrial Environment
Buoyancy – helps animals float with only a
small expenditure of energy. They can
alter their depth by changing the amount
of gas inside their body.

Larger plants and animals do not notice
buoyancy. However small insects and
other invertebrates will experience a
greater effect.

Chemical: Carbon
Dioxide

Carbon dioxide solubility is low in water,
but is more dissolved at low
temperatures than at high. Thus there is
more available for photosynthesis in
colder water (including ocean
upwelling’s) than in warm tropical
waters.

Although carbon dioxide is 0.03% of the
atmosphere, it is rarely a limiting factor
in plant growth.

Chemical: ions Generally, the concentration of ions
outside of marine animals is higher than
inside and they lose water by osmosis.
They have to drink large amounts to
replace it. Fresh water poses the reverse
problem: water enters animals and they
have to remove it by constant urination.

The availability of specific ions can vary
widely. Excessive salinity is a serious
problem in some parts of Australia. Yet
some plants and animals suffer because
of lack of specific ions in our ancient
soils. In some parts of the world, salt
licks are visited regularly by various
animals.