What term describes factors that lower the birth rate or raise the death rate as a population grows?

The term that describes factors which lower the birth rate or raise the death rate as a population grows is density-dependent factors. These factors are influenced by the density of the population, meaning their effects become more pronounced as population size increases. Common examples of density-dependent factors include competition for limited resources, predation, disease, and waste accumulation.

As a population grows, competition for resources such as food, water, and shelter increases, which can affect survival and reproduction rates. If resources are scarce, birth rates may decline as fewer individuals can successfully raise offspring, while death rates may increase due to higher vulnerability to disease and predation. This dynamic feedback loop plays a crucial role in regulating population size and maintaining ecological balance.

Understanding density-dependent factors is vital for studying population ecology, as they help predict how populations will respond to environmental changes. Other terms like density-independent factors refer to influences that affect population regardless of their density, such as natural disasters, which do not solely depend on population size to exert their effects. Carrying capacity limits describe the maximum population size that an environment can sustain but do not specifically address the relationship with growth. Environmental resistance encompasses all ecological factors that limit population growth but is broader than just density-dependent factors alone.