<P> Energy , water , nitrogen and soil minerals are other essential abiotic components of an ecosystem . The energy that flows through ecosystems is obtained primarily from the sun . It generally enters the system through photosynthesis , a process that also captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere . By feeding on plants and on one another , animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system . They also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present . By breaking down dead organic matter , decomposers release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by converting nutrients stored in dead biomass back to a form that can be readily used by plants and other microbes . </P>
<P> Energy , water , nitrogen and soil minerals are other essential abiotic components of an ecosystem . The energy that flows through ecosystems is obtained primarily from the sun . It generally enters the system through photosynthesis , a process that also captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere . By feeding on plants and on one another , animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system . They also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present . By breaking down dead organic matter , decomposers release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by converting nutrients stored in dead biomass back to a form that can be readily used by plants and other microbes . </P>
what term defines the nonliving components of an ecosystem such as climate water and soil
what term defines the nonliving components of an ecosystem such as climate water and soil
abiotic
abiotic