biotic
Americanadjective
adjective
-
of or relating to living organisms
-
(of a factor in an ecosystem) produced by the action of living organisms Compare edaphic
-
Consisting of living organisms. An ecosystem is made up of a biotic community (all of the naturally occurring organisms within the system) together with the physical environment.
-
Associated with or derived from living organisms. The biotic factors in an environment include the organisms themselves as well as such items as predation, competition for food resources, and symbiotic relationships.
-
Compare abiotic
Etymology
Origin of biotic
1590–1600; < Greek biōtikós of, pertaining to life, equivalent to biō-, verbid stem of bioûn to live + -tikos -tic
Compare meaning
How does biotic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The results show that biotic interactions can have a strong influence on plants' ability to adapt to abiotic factors and that adaptation is most efficient when plants are exposed to a variety of interactions.
From Science Daily
"But few studies have examined biotic impacts, such as pathogen infection, on thermal tolerance in natural populations in combination with abiotic factors," she explained.
From Science Daily
But what happens to these biotic communities when the source of hot fluids is exhausted?
From Science Daily
The tendency of communities and the species within them to become more similar or more distinct across landscapes -- biotic homogenisation and differentiation -- are approximately balanced, according to a new study published in Science Advances.
From Science Daily
These changes also lead to biotic shifts, as species from warmer waters also flow into the Arctic along with the warm Atlantic water.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.