![]() ![]() The chances of dying from any of these limiting factors don’t depend on how many individuals are in the population. The category of density independent limiting factors includes fires, natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, tornados), and the effects of pollution. Small populations are particularly at risk of being wiped out by density independent limiting factors. Density independent limiting factors cause abrupt and erratic shifts in population size. These factors don’t make continual corrections to keep the population size under control because the strength of their effectiveness is not rooted in the number of individuals present. Limiting factors that fall into this category affect the per capita growth rate independent of the population density. Also, waste can accumulate quickly in large populations and this leads to death from disease and parasites and can also impair reproduction, reducing the size of the population. Diseases, Parasites, and Accumulation of Wasteĭiseases and parasites have more opportunities to spread and infect individuals in larger populations, such as through contaminated water supplies. By feeding on these individuals, predators may end up increasing their own numbers, resulting in natural cyclical changes in populations. PredationĪreas with high populations attract predators that kill and eat individuals, helping to keep the population under control. This feedback makes a correction by reducing the population size to a level that can be supported by the environment. As the population size increases, the competition becomes more intense causing some individuals to die over time, not mate, etc. Individuals in a population are always competing for limited resources like food, mates, shelter, and water. ![]()
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