What is the term used to describe biotic and abiotic factors in the environment of the organism?

Analyze the question: The question asks for the term that covers both the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) factors in an organism's environment.

Explain the concept:

• Biotic factors are living things such as plants, animals, fungi and bacteria.
• Abiotic factors are non-living things such as temperature, light, water, soil, pH and humidity.
• An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with one another and with the non-living parts of their environment, as a functional unit.

Check each option:

• A. Habitat: the place where an organism lives (e.g., a pond or a forest floor). It describes a location, not the interaction of biotic and abiotic factors.
• B. Biome: a very large regional community defined by climate and dominant vegetation (e.g., the tropical rainforest or the savanna). It is too broad, and it is not the general term for biotic and abiotic factors together.
• C. Ecosystem: the biotic and abiotic components interacting together. This matches the question.
• D. Ecological niche: the role or function of an organism in its community (what it eats, when it is active, how it interacts with others). It is about the organism's role, not the combined factors.

Answer: The term that describes the biotic and abiotic factors together is the ecosystem.

Exam tip: Remember it this way:

• Habitat = address (where it lives)
• Niche = job (what it does)
• Ecosystem = living + non-living together
• Biome = giant climate zone

If you see "biotic and abiotic" in a question, think "ecosystem."