Limiting Factors Chapter 10.2

Limiting Factors Is an environmental factor that causes a population to stop growing.

Food and Water All organisms need to take in nutrients if there is not enough for all members of the population the weak will die.

Carrying Capacity The largest population an area can support.

Space Each organism in a population needs to have enough space to live.

Light Sunlight is a limiting factor for plants.

Soil Composition Soil must contain the proper amount of nutrients in order for plants to get enough nutrients.

Weather Many organisms require a particular range of temperatures and amount of rainfall to live and reproduce.

Predator - Prey Interactions Reading Graphs: What variable is plotted on the x-axis? What two variables are plotted on the y-axis? Year; numbers of wolves and moose

Predator - Prey Interactions Interpreting Data: How did the moose population change between 1965 and 1972? What happened to the wolf population from 1973 through 1976? The moose population increased and then decreased; the wolf population increased.

Inferring: How might the change in the moose population have led to the change in the wolf population? As the moose population increased, more food was available to the wolf population and it increased.

Drawing Conclusions: What is one likely cause of the dip in the moose population between 1974 and 1981? The wolf population increased.