The activity of an organism which affects the survival of another organism in the same habitat constitutes?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks what we call the activity of one living organism that affects the survival of another living organism in the same habitat. The key idea is that a living thing is influencing another living thing.

Step 2: Explain the concept Environmental factors that affect organisms fall into two main groups:

• Biotic factors are the living components of an environment and their activities: predation, competition, parasitism, symbiosis, disease-causing organisms, and so on.
• Abiotic factors are the non-living components: temperature, light, humidity, wind, and so on. They include: • Edaphic factors: soil-related (soil pH, texture, minerals, water content). • Physiographic (topographic) factors: features of the land, such as altitude, slope, and aspect of hills and valleys.

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. Edaphic factor: this concerns soil, which is non-living. ✗
• B. Abiotic factor: this concerns non-living things, but the question describes the activity of an organism. ✗
• C. Biotic factor: this is the activity of living organisms affecting other living organisms. ✓
• D. Physiographic factor: this concerns land features such as relief. ✗

Step 4: Answer The activity of one organism affecting the survival of another in the same habitat is a biotic factor, which is option C.

Example: A lion hunting a zebra, or weeds competing with maize for nutrients on a Nigerian farm, are biotic interactions.

Exam tip: "Bio" means life. If the question mentions organisms or living things acting on others, think biotic. If it mentions soil, think edaphic. If it mentions land relief or slope, think physiographic. If it mentions non-living things such as temperature or light, think abiotic.