Q. How does biological diversity relate to the characteristics of the abiotic factors of an ecosystem?
The ease of use of abiotic factors like light, mineral salts, moisture, heat and carbon dioxide more or less conditions the biodiversity of an ecosystem. The Photosynthesis depends on light and water, and plants also require mineral salts, carbon dioxide and adequate temperature for their cells to work. In the environments where these factors aren't restrictive the synthesis of organic material (by photosynthesis) is at a maximum, algae and plants can reproduce easier, the population of these beings increase, potential ecological niches multiply and new species emerge. The huge mass of producers makes viable the appearing of a diversity of consumers of several orders. In the environments with restrictive abiotic factors like deserts the producers exist in small numbers and less diversity a feature that thus extends to consumers and conditions fewer ecological niches to be explored.