jennifer.mathis

Limiting Factors in an ecosystemAny biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the number or production of organisms is a limiting factor.

Take this ecosystem found in the fishbowl

The limiting factors would be the size of the bowl, amount of water, will limit the number of fish that can survive in the fishbowl

Limiting factors can be dependent limiting factors and independent factors

Dependent limiting factors depend on the number of organisms

For example, the amount of food available for each organism depends on the number of organisms

An independent limiting factors does not depend on the number of organisms.

For example, the amount of rainfall does not depend on the number of organisms

You also have

Density-Dependent Factors

A limiting factor that depends on population size is called a density-dependent limiting factor.

Density-dependent limiting factors include:

• competition

• predation

• parasitism

• disease

Here is a list of abiotic limiting factors

Sunlight

Climate

Temperature

Water

Space

Soil chemistry

Fire

Natural disasters

Biotic factors limiting factors

Number of plants

Number animals

Amount of competition

Number of decomposers

parasites

Disease causing agents