Diminution of biotic and abiotic factors
Answers
Both abiotic and biotic factors determine both where an organism can live and how much a population can grow. A limiting factor is a factor that restricts the size of a population from reaching its full potential.
The amount of food & water in a habitat is an example of a limiting factor. Other factors include geographical space, predation, climate, competition (for prey, food, mates) etc. An example of a limiting factor is sunlight in the rainforest, where growth is limited to all plants in the understory unless more light becomes available. Or perhaps in a deciduous forest, there are not enough rabbits to support the growth of more foxes. All species within an ecosystem will experience some kind of limiting factors to prevent continuous and exponential growth. (Even humans) Environmental changes (i.e drought, famine, human destruction) results in decreased rates of physiological processes, lowering the potential for survival, growth, or reproduction. Species will undergo Acclimatization to adjust to the new limiting factors through changing their behavior or physiology.
Limiting Factors:
Light (exposure to light can change climate & growth of plants)
Heat (will determine the weather/climate of an ecosystem)
Mechanical Support (any features (i.e waterfalls, valleys, hills) which can either facilitate or inhibit a species survival
Organic Matter (this will determine soil nutrition and therefore plant growth)
Nutrients (Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon, Phosphorous etc.) are essential stability of an ecosystem
Water/ Air (Water and Air quality will play a drastic role in the survivable of a species; streams, rainfall etc.)
Predation (Predators will limit the growth of the population as well as human pouching)
Competition (Competition within the species and with other species for food, water, mates will limit further growth)
Geographical Space (If the species can only survive within a given ecosystem, the size of that ecosystem will prevent further population increases)
Abiotic factors, such as temperature, soil and light, can also influence an organisms success in an area. The tolerance range of an organism are the abiotic conditions in which an organism can survive. At both the high and low ends of the tolerance range an organism is stressed. For example, lichens, have a low tolerance range when it comes to air quality, plants have a low tolerance range when it comes to temperature. Animals that can maintain relatively constant internal temperatures (endotherms) can live in a wide range of external temperatures, whereas ectotherms, which rely on the external environment are more restricted to the temperature they can survive in.