Transcript Limiting Factors & Carrying Capacity

Limiting Factors &
Carrying Capacity
We now know what’s in an
ecosystem, but what controls how
much *stuff* is in there?
Organisms compete for…
•
•
•
•
Space
Water
Food or Light
Nutrients in lithosphere
Which of the above are
ABIOTIC?
And are also affected by…
• Disease
• Each other (fights between some males to
see who gets to reproduce cause deaths)
• Temperature
Which of the above are BIOTIC?
• The 7 factors listed above are called
Limiting Factors.
• Different species require different amounts
or conditions to survive. These conditions
are the species Tolerance Range.
Competition for Limiting Factors
and Tolerance Ranges create a…
• Carrying Capacity: The maximum
number of individuals of a species able to
survive in an area.
• Carrying capacity for all consumers
increases as the amount of producers
increase… *** Producers are VERY
important to healthy ecosystems!!***
Symbiotic Relationships Can
Increase Carrying Capacity!
• Mutualism: Both species benefit and both
populations increase where they live
together.
• Commensalism: One species benefits
and one is not affected, so only one
population increases
• Parasitism or Predation: One species
benefits (its population increases) and one
species is harmed (its population
decreases)
Master of the World Journal Entry:
• How many producers will you need to
support the rest of your ecosystem?
Homework:
• Questions # 2-4, 6, 8 on page 55