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Limiting Factors of Population Size

OCR A-level BiologyPopulations and SustainabilityLesson 3 of 17

A limiting factor is any factor that limits the growth of a population by restricting the resources or conditions available. Limiting factors stop populations growing indefinitely and determine the carrying capacity.

Limiting factors can be abiotic (non-living) or biotic (living).

Abiotic limiting factors include:

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Key terms in this lesson

carrying capacity
The maximum population size that an environment can sustain over a long period of time, limited by the availability of resources.

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