Question

Biotic components include:
(a)Only producers
(b)Producers, consumers, and decomposers
(c)Only consumers
(d)Only producers and consumers

Answer 1

The components of an ecosystem can be divided into two categories:- Biotic components and Abiotic components. The living beings of an ecosystem are included in biotic components whereas non-living things are included in abiotic components.

Complete answer:
The biotic components can be classified into three broad categories based on their source for energy requirement. The categories are:- Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers.
Producers:- Producers include the plants present in the ecosystem which have the ability to generate the energy required by them on their own through photosynthesis, in presence of sunlight and chlorophyll. All other living beings depend on plants for their energy requirement and oxygen.
Consumers:- Consumers include herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Herbivores include living organisms that feed on plants. Carnivores include animals that feed on other living organisms. Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and other living organisms.
Decomposers:- Decomposers are the fungi and bacteria which are called saprophytes. These animals feed on dead and decaying matter and convert the matter into nitrogen and carbon dioxide. These organisms play an important role in recycling nutrients so that the producers can use them.

Additional Information: The abiotic components include the non-living components like water, light, temperature, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and minerals. These factors are classified into:
Climatic factors: These factors include light, temperature, precipitation, atmospheric humidity, and wind.
Topographic factors: These factors include altitude, surface slope, and exposure, etc.
Edaphic factors: These factors include soil and substratum.
So, the correct answer is ‘Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers’.

Note: The biotic components include all the living organisms present in an ecosystem. Parasites are also included in biotic components. These organisms depend on the host for food and shelter and sometimes harm the host. Parasites include bacteria and fungi.