Abiotic factors

• Abiotic factors are non-living elements of an ecosystem, such as climate, temperature, water, and soil type
• Abiotic factors include light intensity, temperature, and moisture levels
• The abundance and distribution of living organisms in an ecosystem are affected by abiotic factors
• A shingle beach has small stones instead of fine sand, allowing plant seeds to grow between the stones, especially at the top of the shore away from the waves
• Two students set up a transect along a shingle beach, placing a quadrat every five meters to measure the height of plants found
• The average height of plants decreases from 60 cm at the top of the shore to less than 10 cm after 25 meters, with no plants found beyond that point
• The depth of soil decreases from 16 cm at the top of the shore to 1 cm after 25 meters, with no soil beyond that point
• As the depth of soil decreased, the average height of plants also decreased