Question

1. space: species need room to hunt, grow, and raise their young. when space gets scarce, a population may decrease.

dependent or independent? why?

1. temperature: plants and animals alike are limited by their ability to handle extreme heat or cold, restricting their population to areas with favorable temperatures.

dependent or independent? why?

1. sunlight: plants require sunlight for photosynthesis. other plants or weather may cause this resource to become scarce and populations to stop growing.

dependent or independent? why?
carrying capacity
the largest population an area can support with its resources is known as its carrying capacity. in case study #1, we determined that under the current conditions, this location in alaska has a carrying capacity of 15 grizzly bears.
a population that has not yet reached its carrying capacity will often exhibit exponential (very rapid) growth. using our bear example, imagine that one year the population of bears is 12. there is an abundance of fish and the bears reproduce over the winter. in the spring, the population has reached 17 bears. the limiting factor begins to play its role. food is now scarce, and the bears must either leave the area or compete with one another for vital resources. some bears will die.

1. in your own words, define carrying capacity.
2. how are carrying capacity and limiting factor related?

Explanation:

1. Space is a density - dependent factor. As population density increases, space becomes scarce and affects the population.
2. Temperature is a density - independent factor. It affects populations regardless of their density, based on the organism's tolerance to heat or cold.
3. Sunlight is a density - dependent factor. When population density of plants is high, competition for sunlight occurs, and scarcity of sunlight limits population growth.
4. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a population that an area's resources can sustain over time.
5. Limiting factors determine the carrying capacity. When limiting factors such as food, space, or sunlight become scarce, they prevent the population from exceeding the carrying capacity of the area.

Answer:

1. Dependent. Because as population density increases, space scarcity affects the population.
2. Independent. Because it affects populations regardless of density based on organism tolerance.
3. Dependent. Because high plant population density leads to competition for sunlight.
4. The maximum number of individuals of a population that an area's resources can sustain over time.
5. Limiting factors determine the carrying capacity. When they are scarce, they prevent the population from exceeding it.