Biotic components are the living things that shape an ecosystem.

Biotic components usually include:

Producers, i.e. autotrophs: e.g. plants, convert the energy [from photosynthesis (the transfer of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into energy), or other sources such as hydrothermal vents] into food.

Consumers, i.e. heterotrophs: e.g. animals, depend upon producers (occasionally other consumers) for food.

Decomposers, i.e. detritivores: e.g. fungi and bacteria, break down chemicals from producers and consumers (usually dead) into simpler form which can be reused.

A biotic factor is any living component that affects the population of another organism, or the environment. This includes animals that consume the organism, and the living food that the organism consumes. Biotic factors also include human influence, pathogens, and disease outbreaks. Each biotic factor needs energy to do work and food for proper growth.

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