Population Growth, Limiting Factors & Carrying Capacity Biology

Essential Question How do limiting factors affect carrying capacity of ecosystems?

Population Growth - Exponential Under ideal conditions with unlimited resources, the larger a population gets, the faster it grows. Not realistic - limiting factors prevent this type of growth from continuing

Population Growth - Logistic Eventually all populations stop exponential growth Limiting factors stabilize growth

Limiting Factors Control population sizes Biotic: food, mates, disease, predators Abiotic: space, water, weather

Density Dependent Limiting Factors Only affect population sizes when they reach a certain density Ex: predator-prey relationship

Density Independent Limiting Factors Affect population sizes regardless of density Ex: natural disasters

Carrying Capacity The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources Where a population stabilizes following exponential growth