Which type of limiting factor is abiotic and tends to be independent of population size (examples include forest fires and hurricanes)?

• A. Density-dependent factor
• B. Density-independent factor
• C. Abiotic factor
• D. Weather event

Answer: (B)

Density-independent limiting factors are abiotic influences that affect populations regardless of how many individuals are present. Forest fires and hurricanes fit this idea because their impact occurs independently of population size—the same event can reduce a population by a similar proportion whether it’s large or small, so per-capita effects aren’t tied to density. This contrasts with density-dependent factors, where the effect changes with how crowded the population is (for example, disease transmission or competition tends to intensify as numbers rise). While abiotic simply means nonliving, the key point here is independence from population size, which is why this scenario matches density-independent dynamics.