What are the possible impacts on the limiting factors that determine population size of an extended period of lower than normal rainfall?
Extended drought reduces water availability (a key limiting factor). This lowers plant growth and primary productivity, reduces food and habitat for consumers, intensifies competition for remaining resources, and can raise mortality rates, ultimately decreasing carrying capacity and population size.
What types of health related issues might be associated with climate related factors?
Student answers will vary. Possible answers include malaria, heat exhaustion, skin cancer, elevation sickness, heat stroke, frostbite, hyperthermia, and hypothermia.
How do the biotic and abiotic limiting factors of an ecosystem determine its carrying capacity?
Biotic and abiotic limiting factors determine the carrying capacity of an ecosystem by setting the maximum population size the environment can sustainably support. Abiotic factors include non-living resources like water, sunlight, and space, while biotic factors include living interactions such as food availability, predators, and competition. When these factors become limited, population growth slows or stops at the carrying capacity.
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