These terms are sometimes used synonymously though refer to slightly different ideas. The biotic and abiotic components of the biosphere interact with one another. Interaction is the name of the game. A. Organisms interact with one another. B. Organisms interact with their environment.
Organisms affect their environment.
For example, vegetation plays a role in water recycling and recall that plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Consider the Gaia Hypothesis and the explanation for why the temperature of the earth has remained relatively stable even though solar output has increased. Within these realms, major ecosystem types, or biomes , predominate. Note that there are many subdivisions of these that we will not discuss. There is no sharp boundary between biomes, they grade into one another.