Once upon a time, in a tropical rain forest nearby, Waldo got lost. He spent may days walking around this forest, trying to find his home. Every once in a while he would find abiotic and biotic factors in this ecosystem. Biotic factors are things that are living in an ecosystem. Abiotic factors are the non-living things in an ecosystem. While searching for these, Waldo knew he must be close to the equator, but he didn't know in which continent or country he was located.

Waldo walked and walked until he spotted a yellow frog up in a tree.  He knew by its bright color that it was a golden poison dart frog. A golden poison dart frog is one of the most toxic animals on the planet. These frogs help the ecosystem by eating insects to prevent overpopulation. Waldo wondered to himself, "Is this an abiotic factor or a biotic factor?" Waldo was beginning to get really hot so he looked up and accused the sun. He stopped himself when he remembered how much the sun affected the tropical rain forest. It gave heat and light for the animals to see and let the plants grow. Waldo asked, "Hmm, is sunlight an abiotic or biotic factor?"

Waldo stopped and took a seat on a stump. There was a tall Talipot Palm towering over him. It had pale yellow blooms and was over 40 feet tall! Talipot Palms produce oxygen for all of the animals to breathe and create food and shelter in the ecosystem. He stared at it for a while and thought,"Is a Talipot Palm a biotic or abiotic factor?" He got up off the stump and felt a drop of rain hit his left hand. Rain dripped and dropped until it was was pouring. Waldo was finally cooled off. Waldo thought of how much the rain helped the plants and animals in the rain forest. It helped the plants grow and gave water to the animals for drinking. Will you help Waldo figure out if rain is an abiotic or biotic factor?

After walking several more steps, Waldo looked around and saw a beautiful Peacock Plant. He stared at the vivid decorations in the plant. It had about twenty oval shaped leaves that were each 30 cm long. Waldo thought back to the Talipot Palm and how it helped the ecosystem. He remembered that all plants release oxygen, so he knew that was one way the Peacock Plant helped the ecosystem.  Also, this plant is food for other critters and keeps them alive. Waldo again wondered if the Peacock Plant was an abiotic or biotic factor.

 He jogged to a cave to shield him from the rain and sat down. His hands sunk down into rich soil. Waldo studied the soil and found different minerals and insects. He jumped up and banged his head when a spider crawled over his hand. The spider skittered away and left Waldo screaming. After Waldo settled down, he inspected the soil once more. This time he saw a worm in it's habitat and doing him no harm. Waldo then thought about how the soil affected this ecosystem. He thought about how it sheltered insects and allowed plants to grow. Now, can you help Waldo find out if soil is an abiotic or biotic factor?

So far, Waldo has seen many things in this tropical rain forest but there is still more to see! Take a walk with Waldo and see if you can spot some other organisms! An organism is an individual living thing.

The rain finally stopped and Waldo climbed a nearby tree to see where he was in the forest. On one of the branches, he saw a 70 inch vine snake. His feet slipped and luckily he landed in a pile of dead leaves. He stared at the snake and watched it slither away. Is this vine snake an organism? Is the pile of dead leaves an organism?

Waldo saw the sun in the west and he knew it was almost sunset. He walked around and tried to find a shelter for the night. What he came across was not a shelter though. He saw a common tree shrew skitter past him with a half eaten grasshopper in his mouth. Waldo wanted to pet it, but he backed off when he saw it's sharp claws. His feet carried him to another small rock cave that was big enough for him to sleep in. Is the common tree shrew an organism? Is the stone cave an organism?