<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
abiotic