Question

What are some density dependent and some density independent factors that could together determine the carrying capacity of a species? be sure in your answer your mark it clear which factors and density dependent and which are density independent.

Answer 1

This is very fundamental fact that, population of a biological species cannot grow exponentially for an indefinite period because of the availability of the resources. Nature always limits the population growth. The maximum population of a species that an environment can sustain is called carrying capacity of the species.

Carrying capacity of a species is determined by various factors. These factors may be categorized in density dependent and density independent factors.

Density dependent factors are those factors which affects the carrying capacity because of the population density of the species. Factors such as food availability, disease, predation and migration are the density dependent factors that play crucial role in the determination of carrying capacity of the species.

For example, less amount of food would be sufficient for a particular size of population or carrying capacity, however the available food would be insufficient when the density of the population will increase which leads to starvation, hampered reproduction etc. and would have a control on the carrying capacity of a species.

On the other hand density independent factors are those factors that control the carrying capacity a species irrespective of the population density of that species.

For example weather and climate determined the carrying capacity of a species. These factors are completely independent of population density of the species.