Describe how limiting factors regulate the growth of populations?

Question

please help if you can, is a question conserning biology. Thanks to anyone that can help.

Answer 1

Limiting factors in the environment include: Food/water, oxygen, space availability, as well as other factors such as predation and competition.

These limiting factors set the supportable capacity of a population. Any time the population is very out of balance with the supportable capacity, you will see either exponential growth of the population (in the case of increased resources and decreased competition/predation), or on the other side of the coin, exponential decline of the population (excessive predation/competition/parasitism with a lack of sustainable resources).

Answer 2

Imagine an island population. The growth of the population is directly proportional to the factors that assist or hinder it's development.

One limiting factor, using the example of the island, is area. Due to the limited size of the island, the population is REGULATED by this factor.  The size of the population can only grow to certain size before it reaches the carrying capacity, which is the amount of resources that an environment can provide before population degradation occurs. Therefore, the limiting factors (nutrition and shelter) of an environment govern the rate at which a population can grow.

I apologize for the lack of organization in my explanation, but I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Really applying the good old brain can get ya that answer, or least pretty well. Limiting factors are things like the environment itself-is it an island? A desert? Mts? Geology. The part of the world it's in makes a huge diference. Arctic compared to tropics, etc. Being a 3rd world country with limited resources is very limiting. The education resources are a biggy. . In China, a law limits the growth of the population- 1 child per couple! Food & medical care availability.THE biggest 1 of all- BIRTH CONTROL pills, devices, or knowledge! Bet you can think of at least 4 or 5 more. If this is for an exam, you have study materials?