Clarifying ?s

1. Biotic Factors That Affect Populations Information Clarifying ?s - the living parts of an ecosystem biotic factors Example: plants, animals, bacteria, fungi 6 types of biotic factors 1. Predation - one animal hunts and kills another for food Examples: lions, tigers, bears, humans Effect on population - Good hunters lower the population. Poor hunters allow the population to increase. 2. Competition - the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources Example: Taller trees casting shade on shorter trees in a dense forest 3. Humans A. Habitat destruction - major cause of extinction - forests cut down to build human homes B. Poaching - illegal killing or removing of animals from an area Examples: tropical fish, ivory, exotic birds, rhino horns C. Pollution - Settles into water, air, and soil. Is absorbed by plants and animals. Can affect food chain and cause birth defects. Example: Birds with malformed beaks 4. Disease - Infectious diseases can spread from one organism to another OR species to species! Example: Flu, cold, smallpox, polio, HIV 5. Carrying capacity - too many organisms - not enough resources 6. Plants - type of plant determines what can live in area. Example: Lion on the Savannah