So here we have an example problem that wants us to analyze the flowchart and fill in the blanks. So notice down below, we've got this flowchart that's starting on the left-hand side and making its way towards the right-hand side. And it starts with a question asking, what limits the distribution of a species? Now, it turns out that every species on Earth is limited in terms of its distribution because there's no single species on Earth that's capable of surviving and reproducing in every single environment that Earth has to offer. And so when we want to determine what limits the distribution of a species, one of the first questions we might ask ourselves is, is the species able to disperse?
Or in other words, is the species able to move individuals or their gametes from their birthplace into new locations? Now if the answer to this question is yes, the species is capable of dispersing into these new locations, then there must be some factor that limits the distribution into those new locations. And so whether those factors be biotic or abiotic, we can move forward in this flowchart. Now if the answer to this question is no, the species is not able to disperse into this new area. Then in that case, that new area may be inaccessible to that species.
And in this case, dispersal is a limitation to that species. But even if dispersal is a limitation, there can still be other factors that also limit the distribution of that species. So we can still move forward in this flowchart as well. So in either case, we can ask ourselves, do biotic factors limit the distribution of the species? Now if the answer to this question is yes, then all we needed to do is determine which biotic factors limit the distribution.
And so it could be things such as predators, parasites, competition, disease, the amount or type of vegetation, and so on. Now if the answer to the question is no, there are no biotic factors limiting the distribution, then in that case, there must be some abiotic factors limiting the distribution of the species. And even if there are biotic factors limiting the distribution, there can still also be abiotic factors limiting the distribution, so we can still move forward in this flowchart. And so when it comes to the abiotic factors, they could be categorized either as chemical abiotic factors or physical abiotic factors. Now the chemical abiotic factors are going to have to do with chemicals themselves, such as, for example, the amount of water that's present, the amount of oxygen gas that's available, the salinity of the aqueous solution, or the pH of the environment, or even the soil nutrients that are available, and things of that nature.
Now if it is a physical abiotic environment, then it has less to do with the chemicals themselves and more to do with the physical nature of the environment, such as, for example, the temperature, the amount of light, the altitude of that environment, or the climate of the environment, for example. And so this here concludes this example problem, and hopefully, this is a helpful reminder that there can be many factors, biotic or abiotic, that impact the distribution of any particular species. So, I'll see you in our next video.