LIMITING FACTOR
NOTES
HABITAT
 Habitat - type of environment in
which a particular species lives
 4 Components of a Habitat:
Water
Food
Shelter
Space
CARRYING CAPACITY
 Carrying
Capacity - the
maximum
population size
that a particular
environment can
support over
time
Check for Understanding
1. Why does the white-tailed
deer population drop when
the carrying capacity is
exceeded?
a) Resources are too low to
support the population.
b) Weather changes reduce
the deer population
c) The height of edible plants
exceeds the height of the
deer
d) Competition by other
animals is greatly reduced.
LIMITING FACTOR
 Limiting
Factor any biotic (living)
or abiotic
(nonliving) factor
in an environment
that limits the size
of a population
TYPES OF LIMITING FACTORS


Density-dependent limiting factors – factors
that become limiting only when the number of
organisms per unit space reaches a certain level
 Ex. Space, disease, competition and
predation
Density-independent limiting factors – factors
that affect all populations in the same way,
regardless of their density
 Ex. Weather, seasonal cycles, natural
disasters and human activities
Check for Understanding
2. The carrying capacity for herbivores in a habitat is most
directly affected by the availability of
1.
2.
3.
4.
heat energy released by carnivores
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
photosynthetic organisms
decomposers in the soil
3. The size of plant populations can be influenced by the
1.
2.
3.
4.
molecular structure of available oxygen
size of the cells of decomposers
number of chemical bonds in a glucose molecule
type of minerals present in the soil