Paljundustegurid

Paljundustegurid, also known as reproductive factors or breeding factors, are biological or environmental elements that influence the rate of reproduction in a population. These factors can be broadly categorized into density-dependent and density-independent factors.

Density-dependent factors are those whose effects on the size or growth of the population vary with the population density. Examples include competition for resources such as food, water, and shelter, as well as increased susceptibility to disease and predation when populations are dense. As a population grows, these factors exert stronger negative pressure, slowing down or even reversing population growth.

Density-independent factors, on the other hand, affect a population regardless of its density. These are typically abiotic factors like weather events (droughts, floods, extreme temperatures), natural disasters (fires, earthquakes), and pollution. A severe drought, for instance, can reduce reproductive success and increase mortality across all population sizes.

The interplay between these paljundustegurid determines the carrying capacity of an environment, which is the maximum population size that can be sustained by the available resources and the prevailing environmental conditions. Understanding these factors is crucial for ecological studies, conservation efforts, and managing wildlife populations.