Final answer:
Predators, pollution, sunlight, water availability, and amount of food availability are examples of limiting factors that impact a population in an ecosystem.
Step-by-step explanation:
Predators, pollution, sunlight, water availability, and amount of food availability are examples of limiting factors in an ecosystem. These factors can impact a population in various ways:
- Predators: Predators can directly decrease the population of prey species by consuming them. This can lead to a decrease in the prey population, affecting their growth and survival.
- Pollution: Pollution can contaminate the environment and negatively affect the health and survival of organisms. For example, pollution in water bodies can lead to a decrease in aquatic species.
- Sunlight: Sunlight is crucial for photosynthesis, which is the process by which plants produce food. In ecosystems with low sunlight availability, plants may struggle to grow and reproduce, affecting the food web and the population of organisms dependent on plants.
- Water availability: Water is essential for survival and reproduction. Limited water availability can lead to dehydration and hinder the growth and survival of organisms.
- Amount of food availability: When there is a limited amount of food available in an ecosystem, competition among individuals of the same species and between different species increases. This can lead to a decrease in population size as some individuals may not have access to enough food to survive and reproduce.