Limiting Factors

Front

What are limiting factors in an ecosystem?

Back

Limiting factors are environmental conditions that restrict the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population within an ecosystem.

Front

What is the difference between density-dependent and density-independent factors?

Back

Density-dependent factors are influenced by the population size (e.g., disease, competition), while density-independent factors affect populations regardless of their size (e.g., natural disasters, climate).

Front

What is carrying capacity?

Back

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can sustainably support.

Front

How do density-dependent factors affect population growth?

Back

Density-dependent factors, such as food availability and disease, increase in effect as the population size increases, leading to a decrease in population growth.

Front

What happens when a population exceeds its carrying capacity?

Back

When a population exceeds its carrying capacity, density-dependent limiting factors will cause the population to decrease back below the carrying capacity.

Front

Give an example of a density-independent factor.

Back

An example of a density-independent factor is a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or wildfire, which can affect a population regardless of its size.

Front

What role does food availability play in population dynamics?

Back

Food availability is a key density-dependent factor; as food resources increase, the carrying capacity for a population also increases.

Front

What is the impact of disease on population size?

Back

Disease acts as a density-dependent limiting factor, where higher population densities can lead to increased transmission rates, reducing population size.

Front

How do territorial behaviors affect population distribution?

Back

Territorial behaviors, such as those seen in fish, are density-dependent factors that can limit population distribution by preventing younger individuals from occupying certain areas.

Front

What is an example of a density-dependent limiting factor?

Back

An example of a density-dependent limiting factor is competition for resources, which increases as population density increases.