Question

What is the difference between density-dependent and density-independent factors

Answer 1

Population growth of every species on the earth are studied and analysed to record the overpopulation and extinxtion of the organism.Certain factors help in the analysis are density dependent and density indeoendent factors.Growth of the population and size are effected by various environmental factors.

Density dependent factors-These factors depends on the density of the organisms in a population.Factors like predation,competition and diseases.These facters may increase or decrease the population.The factors c an laso called as population regulating factors as it can maintain the population size even in nearrow range.

Eg-When the population dendity of deers in a particular area increase beyond its carrying capavity,the competition for food,water,mate and shelter arises lead to competition.It cause starvation and decrease in th size of the population due to overconsumption of resources required for survival and reproduction.Migration of the wildebeest migration in search of grass land is very famous in Africa is also one of the easy to remember example of density dependent factors.

Same with predation as a factors,High population of a particular organism attract predators to overhunt.Thus causing the decrease of the population but the predators population density increases.This way the cycle continues.

Diseases also spread fast among individuals living in dense population.Parasites,viruses and bacterias causing mass extinction of the species.

Density independent factors-These are factors which doesn't depends on densit of the population.Factors like Natural calamityand wheather.Calamities like Flood,fire,earthquake,drought,cyclon and storm cause destruction of food and shelter of the organism causing lowering population density regardless of the size of the population low or high.

Smaller population are always in gh risk of getting irradicated by any calamities.eg-Extinction of Dinasours from the earth is easy to remember.(Meteors crashed on the earth million of years ago is believed to be the reason of mass extinction of dinasours).