Limiting factors

Environmental Limiting Factors.
prepared by: Abdullah "Mahajir"

1. Mangalore University
MSc. In Environmental Science
Environmental Biolog
Limiting Factors
Prepared by: Abdullah Mahajir

2. Introduction
•Limiting factors are theorized underLiebig’s Law of the Minimum, which states
that “growth is not controlled by the total amount of resources available, but by the
scarcest resource”.
•A limiting factor is anything that constrainsa population's size and slow-stopsit
from growing.
•Limiting factors are usually expressed as a lack of a particular resource.
•limiting factors determine a habitat's carrying capacity, which is the maximum
size of the population it can support.
•There can be many different limiting factors at work in a single habitat, and the
same limiting factors can affect the populations of both plant and animal species.

3. Definition
•A limiting factor is a resource or environmental condition which limits
the growth, distribution or abundance of
anorganismorpopulationwithin anecosystem.

4. Continue…
•These can be either physicalor biologicalfactors, which can be identified
through a response of increased or decreased growth, abundance, or
distribution of a population, when the factor is changed and when the other
factors necessary to life are not.

5. Types of limiting factors
Density
Based
D. In
depending
factors
D.
Depending
factors

6. Continue…
1.Density Depending factors:
are those which effects population, while determined by the total size of
the population.
e.g.
•Diseases
•Resource availability
•Predators and etc.

7. Continue…
2. Density In-depending factors
are those which limits the size of the population, while determined by the
number of individuals.
e.g.
•Earthquakes
•Tsunami
•Climate change
•Volcanoes
•Droughts and etc.

8. Physicaland Biological factors (Biotic & Abiotic)
physical
(abiotic)
factors
Food and
Nutrients
Light
Oxygen
Water
availabili
ty
Temperat
ure

9. Temperature
•Temperature is the degree or intensity of heator coldnesspresent in substance,
object or an organism.
•After light, temperature is one of the major limiting factors, as it limits the
growth of plants, animal, humanand micro-organisms.
•Maximum and minimum temperature effects the life of all organism on earth.

10. Effects of temperature on plants and animals
Temperature
Metabolism
Reproduction
Fecundity
Growth and
Development
Morphology
Sex-ratio
Coloration

11. Light
•About10%ofthesunlightwhichfallsoverthewatersurface,isreflected
backandrest90%ofthatpassdowninthewater.Thephytoplankton,
zooplankton,suspendedorganicandinorganicparticleseitherreflector
absorbthelightrays.
•Withoutlight,manyoftheplantswouldnotbeabletoproducethe
energyneedstogrow,
•Sunlightprovidestheenergythatgreenplantsusetocreatesugars,which
releaseenergyintothelivingthings
•Lighteffectsonplantsbasedonitsintensity,qualityanddurationwhich
arealsoknownaslimitingfactorforplantgrowth.

12. Light affecting plants
Light
Intensity
Quality
Duration
chlorophyll
production
Heating
action
Distributio
n of plants

13. Water
•Waterexhibitscyclicflowbetweenatmosphere,landandsea,and
betweenlivingorganismsandtheirenvironmentreferredaswater
cycleorhydrologicalcycle.
•Withoutcyclingofwaterecosystemcouldnotfunction,andlife
couldnotmaintained.

14. Importance of water to plants
•Effect on intensity of solar radiations
•Effects on evaporation and transpiration
•Source of soil moisture
•Direct use by plants

15. Availability of Food
•Inthenaturalworld,limitingfactorsliketheavailabilityoffood,canchange
animalandplantpopulations.
•Somechangesmaycauseapopulationtoincrease.Iftherearemoreplantsthan
usualinanarea,populationsofanimalsthateatthatplantmayincrease.Ifone
animal'spopulationincreases,thepopulationofanimalsthateatsthatanimal
mightalsoincrease.
•Increasesinpopulationaren'talwaysgood.Sometimesapopulationwillgrowtoo
largefortheenvironmenttosupport.Otherchangesinlimitingfactorswillcause
apopulationtodecrease.

16. Continue…
•It involves interaction
between organisms.
Biological
(biotic)
factors
Parasitism
CompetitionPredation

17. Predation
•Predationistheecologicalprocessbywhichenergyistransferredfromliving
animaltolivinganimalbasedonthebehaviorofapredatorthatcapturesand
killsapreybeforeeatingit.
•Predatorsoccupytheupperlevelsoffoodchains.
•Intermsofconservation,thisissometimescriticalforthesurvivaloflocal
predatorpopulations.
•e.g.lionsfeedingonZebracougarseatingdeer,snakesconsumingmiceand
birdsareeatinginsects.

18. Competition
•Competitionisarelationshipbetweenorganismsinwhichoneisharmed
whenbotharetryingtousethesameresourcerelatedtogrowth,
reproduction,orsurvivability.
•Competitionstemsfromthefactthatresourcesarelimited.
•Therearesimplynotenoughofsomeresourcesforallindividualstohave
equalaccessandsupply.
•Competitionbetweenspeciescaneitherleadtotheextinctionofoneofthe
species,oradeclineinbothofthespecies.

19. Parasitism
•Parasitismisatypeofsymbioticrelationship,orlong-termrelationship
betweentwospecies,whereonemember,theparasite,gainsbenefits
thatcomeattheexpenseofthehostmember.
•Parasitismisarelationshipwhereonesymbiontbenefits(theparasite)
andtheother(thehost)isharmedinsomewayandmayeventuallydie.
•Parasitescandamagetheirhostsorsickenthemandmakethemweak.
•Atapeworminthedigestivetractofahumanorotheranimalisan
exampleofaparasiticrelationship.

20. Conclusion
•Limitingfactorscaneffectonthenumberofspeciesintheirenvironment,
whichisdirectlydependentontheenvironmentalcarryingcapacity.
•Itmeansthat,eachandeveryenvironmentandhabitathastheirown
limitedresourceandcapacity,whichcansupportandnourishits
population
•Whilethelimitingfactorsaregettinglessorhigh,itwilleffectdirectlyfor
theexistingpopulation.Whichmaycauseproblemsandevenextinction.
•Fortheconservationpurposewemusttakecareofbiodiversityand
sustainableuseofresources.