Limiting factors are factors that constrain the growth, distribution, or abundance of an organism or population within an ecosystem. These factors can be biotic or abiotic, and they can be identified through a response of increased or decreased growth, abundance, or distribution of a population when the factor is changed and when the other factors necessary to life are not. Some examples of limiting factors are:

• Biotic factors: food, mates, and competition with other organisms for resources.
• Abiotic factors: space, temperature, altitude, and amount of sunlight available in an environment.

Limiting factors can be dependent or independent. Dependent limiting factors depend on the number of organisms in an ecosystem, while independent limiting factors are not influenced by population density change. Density-dependent factors include disease, competition, and predation, while density-independent factors include environmental stressors and catastrophes. Ultimately, limiting factors determine a habitats carrying capacity, which is the maximum size of the population it can support.