What Are the Two Factors That Influence What Types of Plants Grow in a Biome?

Biotic and abiotic factors affect the types of plants that grow in a biome. Biotic factors include the effect of the living components of the biome such as competition from other plants, overgrazing by animals and attack by insects and disease. Abiotic factors are the result of the effects of the nonliving parts or components of the biome, including temperature, moisture and soil composition.

Diseases and Insects

• Plant growth can be hampered by the effect of diseases, often the result of the activities of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. The disease's effect on the plant depends on the type of disease-causing organism and the level of proliferation. Signs of infestation include root rot, leaf spots, stunted growth, wilts, blights and even death. These disease-causing organisms have the greatest impact on plants when there is a high level of humidity and overcrowding in the biome. Insects such as mites and locusts also affect plant growth by stripping them of their foliage. Some insects lay their eggs inside the plants, and the larvae of such insects feed on the plants when they emerge.

Overgrazing and Competition

• When other animals in the biome overgraze or feed on the plants, they can also have a negative effect on the survival of such plants. When human beings strip plants of their leaves, they negatively affect the ability of the plants to conduct photosynthesis, leading to poor growth. Plants also compete among themselves for resources like nutrients and moisture. When the plants in a biome are overcrowded, the nutrients in the soil will not be able to sustain all of them, leading to poor growth.

Temperature

• Temperature plays an important role in plant growth. All plants have optimal temperatures at which they grow best. When there is any significant variation in the temperature, it affects the ability of the plants to grow. Some of the effects of changes in temperature include inability to germinate in the first place, poor growth or inability to flower and bear fruit.

Moisture and Soil Composition

• Plants need water to grow and thrive. When there is any reduction in the supply of water, this will reflect on the plants. Some of the signs of the effects of limited moisture include wilting, yellowing leaves, stunted growth or even outright death. Also, when the soil lacks the necessary nutrients to sustain the plants, this will lead to poor growth in the plants.