a factor present in an environment in such short supply that it limits growth or some other life process.
A factor primarily responsible for determining the growth and/or reproduction of an organism or a population. The limiting factor may be a physical factor such as temperature or light, a chemical factor such as a particular nutrient, or a biological factor such as a competing species. The limiting factor may differ at different times and places.
Anything which limits the activity of an entity. An entity seeks to optimise the benefit it obtains from the limiting factor. Examples are a shortage of supply of a resource or a restriction on sales demand at a particular price.
Single factor that limits the growth, abundance, or distribution of the population of a species in an ecosystem. See limiting factor principle.
Abiotic condition that most controls the growth of a species. For most terrestrial plants this condition is the supply of the nutrient nitrogen in the soil.
the least abundant component of a system – usually the one component to which the application of a given amount of effort will pay the greatest returns.
that factor that limits a species or other phenomenon. For instance, a given area might have more than enough air, water, habitat, and space for a given number of grizzly bears, but not enough prey for the species to continue to increase. Prey is thus the limiting factor for grizzly bears in this instance.
a characteristic of the congregation that LIMITS congregational growth
The resource in the shortest supply in an ecosystem.
something that limits the size of a population.
That nutritional element or compound in least abundance without which metabolism cannot occur.
any abiotic factor that limits or prevents the growth of a population
Any environmental factor (food, pollution, etc.)whose presence or absence prevents the Save The Bay's San Francisco Bay Watershed growth of a plant or animal population.
"A requirement such a food, cover or spawning gravel that is in shortest supply with respect to all resources necessary to sustain life and thus ""limits"" the size or retards production of a fish population."
Environmental factors, existing at adverse levels, that prevent organisms from reaching full biotic potential. It is typically used to mean that which limits population sizes of species in particular habitats. It is often the scarcest necessary resource, or most dangerous predator.
a reactant that is supplied in small enough amounts to limit the amount of products of a chemical reaction.
Too much or too little of something in an ecosystem that restricts the growth, abundance or distribution of a population, ie. drought, lack of food, competition,etc.
In the preparation of budgets, account should be taken of “limiting factorsâ€. A limiting factor is a constraint which limits business activities, for example, labour or materials which are in short supply. Budgets should bear limiting factors in mind.
A characteristic of the environment (e.g., light, water availability, soil type, or abundance of predators) that restrict the growth or abundance of a plant or animal species.
The nutrient or condition in shortest supply relative to plant growth requirements. Plants will grow until stopped by this limitation; for example, phosphorus in summer, temperature or light in fall or winter.
a particular factor (e.g. light, temperature, hydroperiod) that limits the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism.
A condition whose absence or excessive concentration, is incompatible with the needs or tolerance of a species or population and which may have a negative influence on their ability to thrive.
In biology, agricultural science, physiology, and ecology, a limiting factor is one that controls a process, such as organism growth or species population size or distribution. The availability of food, predation pressure, or availability of shelter are examples of factors that could be limiting for a species population in a specific area. The concept is based upon Liebig's Law of the Minimum put forth by German geochemist, Justus von Liebig, in 1840.