1. What natural factors limit the growth of an ecosystem?
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SNC1P

2. Learning Goals Students will learn:
An ecosystem’s growth is limited by the availability of resources.
Abiotic and biotic factors limit populations in ecosystems.

3. What Natural Factors Limit the Growth of Ecosystems?
Earth’s human population is increasing very rapidly.

4. What Natural Factors Limit the Growth of Ecosystems?
Name three resources that humans need.
What happens to these resources as the human population grows?
Do you think there is a limit on the size of the human population? Explain why or why not.

5. Ecosystem Growth is Limited by The availability of Resources
A population is all of the individuals of a species that live in a certain place at a certain time.
What population is represented in the diagram on the left?

6. Does the carrying capacity shown above ever change?
The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is the largest population size that it can sustain.
Does the carrying capacity shown above ever change?

7. Limiting Factors can Play Difference Roles in Different Ecosystems
Limiting factors are factors that limit the size of a population.
How and/or why do you think any of the limiting factors shown on the left would affect the population of fish?

8. Abiotic and Biotic Factors Limit Populations in Ecosystems
The factors that affect the carrying capacity of an ecosystem can be non-living (abiotic) or living (biotic).

9. Parasites and Competition
Can you name a parasite and the animal it affects?
Biotic Factor ?
Abiotic Factors ?
What would animals compete for in an ecosystem?

10. Predators and Prey
Biotic Factor?
Name examples of animals that interact as predator and prey.

11. Plants and Competition
What organisms do plants compete with?
Would plants be an example of a biotic or abiotic factor in the ecosystem?
Name several different populations that compete with each other.
Abiotic Factors?
Biotic Factors?

13. Density-Dependent and Density-Independent Factors
Density-dependent factors affect a population as it grows in size.
Density-independent factors affect a population no matter what the size of the population.
Which of the following are density-dependent (DD) and density- independent (DI) factors?
Competition _______ Sunlight _______
Temperature _______ Human Activities _______
Predation _______ Disease _______
Parasitism _______ Crowding _______
Physical Characteristics _______ Natural Disasters _______
Behaviours _______ Stress _______ DD DI DI DI DD DD DD DD DI DI DI DD