Compléter Carrying Capacity blanksVersion en ligne Carrying capacity, limiting factors par Michelle Testa 1 decrease factors resources population resources restricts living maximum carrying shelter capacity living increase mate fire temperature forever non limiting limited resources predators few diseases food habitat The place in which an organism lives is called its . An organism's habitat provides the that an organism need to survive , such as and , water and air , proper , and even a ( so the species can survive ) A of animals ( or plants ) cannot keep growing and growing larger . If there are enough , a population will grow until it reaches a level , and then stay at that level . This maximum level is called " carrying capacity " . The depends on the amount of resources and also on any such as predators , disease , etc . If a population has the necessary ( things needed for species survival , such as lots of food , air , water , mates , etc . ) and if there are diseases or predators , the size of the population will . However , in any ecosystem , the availability of food , water , living space , mates , nesting sites , & other resources are often ( in short supply ) . This can limit ( or ) the size of a population . A limiting factor is anything that or reduces the number of individuals in a population . New , a forest , a destruction of nesting sites , & can all be limiting factors . Limiting factors include ( such as predators ) and - elements ( such as fire or man - made pollution ) of the ecosystem .