Day 4- Limiting Factors
Hey guys!
This is day 4 of my travel blog. Today I learned about limiting factors, which are environmental factors that tend to limit population size. There are two different kinds of these factors, and they are density-dependent and density-independent. Density-dependent limiting factors rely or “depend” on the size of a population. For instance, the larger a population, the bigger impact a density-dependent limiting factor will have. Two types of desnity-dependent limiting factors include competition and disease.
Competition relies on the size and density of a population because it creates conflict over limited recourses. While exploring the desert this morning, I saw a type of bird species in which I was later informed is called the “Cactus Wren.” When I later got back to my tent, I researched about the birds on my laptop. I found information on competition that takes place in this species of bird, and how they rely greatly on the Saguaro Cactus for food, water, and shelter. However, these cacti can only provide these resources for a certain number of wrens. If the population density of the Cactus Wren increased, competition over the Saguaro Cacti for its resources would also increase. In this example, competition within the Cactus Wren species relies on the size of its population, making it a density-dependent limiting factor.
Disease is also one of these examples. In the desert biome, the more dense a certain species population is, the greater the possibility and faster the disease will spread. Disease is spread more easily when organisms live closely to one another. Like competition, the effects of disease also depends on the size of a population.
On the contrary, a density-independent limiting factor do not rely or depend on population size. Their effects on populations are equal. One example is temperature. If temperature changes drastically in an environment, all of the organisms are affected in the same way. All organisms in an environment will be affected no matter the size of its population.
The same goes with weather, which is another example of a density-independent factor. If there were a sand storm in the desert, organisms would be affected whether their population size small or large.
Well, I hope you found this blog useful! Tune back for another blog post tomorrow. Day 5 will be on 3 plants and their adaptations, similar to day 2!
Have a nice night.
This is day 4 of my travel blog. Today I learned about limiting factors, which are environmental factors that tend to limit population size. There are two different kinds of these factors, and they are density-dependent and density-independent. Density-dependent limiting factors rely or “depend” on the size of a population. For instance, the larger a population, the bigger impact a density-dependent limiting factor will have. Two types of desnity-dependent limiting factors include competition and disease.
Competition relies on the size and density of a population because it creates conflict over limited recourses. While exploring the desert this morning, I saw a type of bird species in which I was later informed is called the “Cactus Wren.” When I later got back to my tent, I researched about the birds on my laptop. I found information on competition that takes place in this species of bird, and how they rely greatly on the Saguaro Cactus for food, water, and shelter. However, these cacti can only provide these resources for a certain number of wrens. If the population density of the Cactus Wren increased, competition over the Saguaro Cacti for its resources would also increase. In this example, competition within the Cactus Wren species relies on the size of its population, making it a density-dependent limiting factor.
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| Cactus Wren |
Disease is also one of these examples. In the desert biome, the more dense a certain species population is, the greater the possibility and faster the disease will spread. Disease is spread more easily when organisms live closely to one another. Like competition, the effects of disease also depends on the size of a population.
On the contrary, a density-independent limiting factor do not rely or depend on population size. Their effects on populations are equal. One example is temperature. If temperature changes drastically in an environment, all of the organisms are affected in the same way. All organisms in an environment will be affected no matter the size of its population.
The same goes with weather, which is another example of a density-independent factor. If there were a sand storm in the desert, organisms would be affected whether their population size small or large.
Well, I hope you found this blog useful! Tune back for another blog post tomorrow. Day 5 will be on 3 plants and their adaptations, similar to day 2!
Have a nice night.
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