EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -A large, dense population is more strongly affected than a small or less dense population. For example, a dense population would have higher demands for food and water compared to a small population. In this case, food and water supply is the limiting factor and it depends on density.

Detailed explanation-2: -Density-dependent factors include disease, competition, and predation. Density-dependant factors can have either a positive or a negative correlation to population size. With a positive relationship, these limiting factors increase with the size of the population and limit growth as population size increases.

Detailed explanation-3: -Limiting factors include a low food supply and lack of space. Competition for resources like food and space cause the growth rate to stop increasing, so the population levels off. The carrying capacity (K) is the maximum population size that can be supported in a particular area without destroying the habitat.

Detailed explanation-4: -Density-dependent limiting factors include competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism and disease, and stress from overcrowding. Competition is a density-dependent limiting factor. The more individuals living in an area, the sooner they use up the available resources.

Detailed explanation-5: -density-independent factor, also called limiting factor, in ecology, any force that affects the size of a population of living things regardless of the density of the population (the number of individuals per unit area).