Lesson Overview Limits to Growth

Limits to Growth Limiting Factors • • What factors determine carrying capacity? Acting separately or together, limiting factors determine the carrying capacity of an environment for a species. A limiting factor is a factor that controls the growth of a population. There are several kinds of limiting factors. Some—such as competition, predation, parasitism, and disease—depend on population density. Others—including natural disasters and unusual weather—do not depend on population density. Density-Dependent Limiting Factors Density-dependent limiting factors operate strongly only when population density reaches a certain level. These factors do not affect small, scattered populations as much. Examples: competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, disease, and stress from overcrowding, humans as predators. Competition When populations become crowded, individuals compete for food, water, space, sunlight, and other essentials. Some individuals obtain enough to survive and reproduce. Others may obtain just enough to live but not enough to enable them to raise offspring. Still others may starve to death or die from lack of shelter. Competition can lower birthrates, increase death rates, or both. Competition is a density-dependent limiting factor. The more individuals living in an area, the sooner they use up the available resources. For example, male wolves may fight each other for territory or access to mates. Competition can also occur between members of different species that attempt to use similar or overlapping resources. This type of competition is a major force behind evolutionary change. Predation and Herbivory The effects of predators on prey and the effects of herbivores on plants are two very important density-dependent population controls. Predator-Prey Relationships This graph shows the fluctuations in wolf and moose populations on Isle Royale over the years. Sometimes, the moose population on Isle Royale grows large enough that moose become easy prey for wolves. When wolves have plenty to eat, their population grows. As wolf populations grow, they begin to kill more moose than are born. This causes the moose death rate to rise higher than its birthrate, so the moose population falls. As the moose population drops, wolves begin to starve. Starvation raises wolves’ death rate and lowers their birthrate, so the wolf population also falls. When only a few predators are left, the moose death rate drops, and the cycle repeats Herbivore Effects Herbivory can also contribute to changes in population numbers. From a plant’s perspective, herbivores are predators. On parts of Isle Royale, large, dense moose populations can eat so much balsam fir that the population of these favorite food plants drops. When this happens, moose may suffer from lack of food. Humans as Predators In some situations, human activity limits populations. For example, fishing fleets, by catching more and more fish every year, have raised cod death rates so high that birthrates cannot keep up. As a result, cod populations have been dropping. These populations can recover if we scale back fishing to lower the death rate sufficiently. Biologists are studying birthrates and the age structure of the cod population to determine how many fish can be taken without threatening the survival of this population. Parasitism and Disease Parasites and disease-causing organisms feed at the expense of their hosts, weakening them and often causing disease or death. For example, ticks feeding on the blood of a hedgehog can transmit bacteria that cause disease. Parasitism and disease are density-dependent effects, because the denser the host population, the more easily parasites can spread from one host to another. This graph shows a sudden and dramatic drop in the wolf population of Isle Royale around 1980. At this time, a viral disease of wolves, canine parvovirus (CPV), was accidentally introduced to the island. This virus killed all but 13 wolves on the island—and only three of the survivors were females. The removal of wolves caused the moose population to skyrocket to 2400. The densely packed moose then became infested with winter ticks that caused hair loss and weakness. Stress From Overcrowding Some species fight amongst themselves if overcrowded. Too much fighting can cause high levels of stress, which can weaken the body’s ability to resist disease. In some species, stress from overcrowding can cause females to neglect, kill, or even eat their own offspring. Stress from overcrowding can lower birthrates, raise death rates, or both, and can also increase rates of emigration. Density-Independent Limiting Factors Density-independent limiting factors affect all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size and density. Examples: unusual weather such as hurricanes, droughts, or floods, and natural disasters such as wildfires, can act as density-independent limiting factors. A severe drought, for example, can kill off great numbers of fish in a river. In response to such factors, a population may “crash.” After the crash, the population may build up again quickly, or it may stay low for some time. True Density Independence? On Isle Royale, for example, the moose population grew exponentially for a time after the wolf population crashed. Then, a bitterly cold winter with very heavy snowfall covered the plants that moose feed on, making it difficult for moose to move around to find food. Because this was an island population, emigration was not possible. Moose weakened and many died. In this case, the effects of bad weather on the large, dense population were greater than they would have been on a small population. In a smaller population, the moose would have had more food available because there would have been less competition. Controlling Introduced Species In hydrilla’s natural environment, density-dependent population limiting factors keep it under control. Perhaps plant-eating insects or fishes devour it, or perhaps pests or diseases weaken it. Those limiting factors are not found in the United States, and the result is runaway population growth! Efforts at artificial density-independent control measures—such as herbicides and mechanical removal—offer only temporary solutions and are expensive. Researchers have spent decades looking for natural predators and pests of hydrilla. The best means of control so far seems to be an imported fish called grass carp, which views hydrilla as an especially tasty treat. Grass carp are not native to the United States. Only sterilized grass carp can be used to control hydrilla. Can you understand why?