What is a limiting factor?

• A. A factor that restricts population growth.
• B. A factor that increases population growth.
• C. Abiotic factor.
• D. A factor that has no effect on population.

Answer: (A)

Limiting factors are the conditions or resources that prevent a population from growing beyond a certain size. They can be things like not enough food, water, or space, as well as predators, disease, or extreme environmental conditions. When these factors become scarce or more intense as the population increases, they slow growth or raise deaths, leading the population to level off at the carrying capacity of the environment. That’s why a factor that restricts population growth is the best description. Other ideas describe growth-enhancing factors, general abiotic factors, or factors with no effect, which don’t capture the limiting role these factors play.