BIOTIC POTENTIAL AND

ENVIRONMENTAL RESISTANCE
For Earth and Life Science Grade 11
Quarter 2/ Week 8
 FOREWORD

This learning kit will serve as guide for learners to understand how
an ecosystem’s biotic potential and environmental resistance can
affect population growth. A set of activities guided with contextualized
discussions and illustrations is featured in this learning kit.

In using this learning kit, learners will recognize that science is

dynamic and fun. The activities included herein are simple and easy to
do. In doing so, learners will be given opportunity to broaden their
knowledge and enhance their resourcefulness and creativity in
performing activities provided to them. This will enable them to develop
their critical thinking skills. It is hoped that their understanding of the
basic concepts will benefit them in many ways and the skills they
acquired in using this kit may help them in dealing with present-day
environmental problems.

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 OBJECTIVES:

K- Describe how an ecosystem’s biotic potential and environmental resistance

can affect population growth

S- Examine various interactions of organisms in nature, identify density-dependent

and –independent factors affecting populations

A- Appreciate the importance of biotic and abiotic factors

LEARNING COMPTENCIES:

Categorize the different biotic potential and environmental resistance

(e.g., diseases, availability of food, and predators) that affect
population explosion. S11/12LT-IVhj-29

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 I. WHAT HAPPENED

Activity 1. “POPULATION STATISTICS”

Directions: Analyze the graph below and answer the question.

https://www.sciencegeek.net/Biology/review/U7Review.htm

The image above is a population graph from the predator-prey game. Green indicates
grass, blue indicates rabbits, and red indicates wolves. In this graph, what factor is
controlling the population of rabbits? (check the appropriate box)

the availability of food

the presence of predators and the availability of food

competition from other herbivores

the presence of predators

What can you infer based on your answer? (check the appropriate box/boxes)
Possible answers: 2

the availability of food is an important factor in the population of rabbits

when the population of rabbit increase, food becomes less and vice versa

food is a density-independent factor

rabbits can live without food

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 II. WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
DISCUSSION:
Populations differ in factors such as their distribution, numbers, age structure
(proportions of individuals in different age groups), growth patterns, and density
(number of individuals in a certain space).

Recall that there are three general patterns of population distribution or

dispersion observed in a natural habitat. These are clumping, uniform dispersion,
and random dispersion (figure below).

http://www.biology.iupui.edu/biocourses/n100/images/39dist.gif

In most populations, individuals of a species live together in clumps or

patches. Examples are patches of desert vegetation around springs, flocks of birds,
and schools of fish. Why clumping? The resources a species needs vary greatly in
availability from place to place, so they tend to cluster where the resources are
available. When moving in groups, individuals have a better chance of
encountering patches or clumps of resources, such as water and vegetation, than
they would searching for the resources on their own. Living in groups protects some
animals from predators while some species form temporary groups for mating and
caring for young.

BIOTIC POTENTIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESISTANCE

Over time, the number of individuals in a population may increase, decrease,

remain about the same, or go up and down in cycles in response to changes in
environmental conditions. Four variables are accounted for changes in population
size: births, deaths, immigration, and emigration.

The ability or capacity of a population of a species to grow or propagate

under ideal environmental conditions — given sufficient food supply, no diseases,
and no predators present, is called biotic potential. This state of highest
reproductive power varies widely among species due to genetic and life history

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 differences. Generally, populations of species with large individuals, such as
elephants and blue whales, have a low biotic potential while those of small
individuals, such as bacteria and insects, have a high biotic potential. It is said that
the primary factors that determine biotic potential include an organism's rate of
reproduction and the number of offspring produced at one birth.

Some organisms have an astounding biotic potential. For example, a species

of bacteria with no controls on population growth can reproduce every 20 minutes
and would generate enough offspring to form a one-foot deep layer over the entire
earth’s surface in 36 hours. Fortunately, this is not a realistic scenario. Research
reveals that no population can grow indefinitely because of limitations on resources
and competition with populations of other species for those resources. These factors
that prevent populations from reaching their full biotic potential is collectively
known as environmental resistance.

Environmental resistance is the combination of all factors that act to limit the
growth of a population. These factors include abiotic and biotic factors that limit
the organism from endlessly increasing its population. Biotic factors include
predation, competition, parasitism, and diseases. Abiotic factors include climatic
conditions, fire, and temperature.

Some of the common examples of environmental resistance include the

availability of water and predator-prey relationship. Water is an important resource
that producers need for growth. If the producers do not grow in an ecosystem, then
the consumers in such ecosystem cannot be sustained. Dynamics of predator-prey
populations contribute to environmental resistance. For instance, if the predator
population is low, we can expect that the prey’s population is high and vice versa.

Most of the environmental resistance are density-dependent, i.e., their effects

are most pronounced when the population density increases beyond a certain
level, in other words, whose effects on the size or growth of the population vary with
the population density. The types of density dependent factors include availability
of food, predation, disease, and migration. However, food availability is considered
as the main factor. Density-independent factors, on the other hand can affect the
population without being necessary based on the density. They include natural
disasters (droughts, floods, hurricanes, and fires), temperature, sunlight, seasonal
cycle, human activities, and levels of acidity, cited among many others.

Together, biotic potential and environmental resistance determine the

carrying capacity (K) which is defined as the maximum population of a given
species that a particular habitat can sustain indefinitely without being degraded.
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 The growth rate of a population decreases as its size nears the carrying capacity of
its environment because resources such as food, water, and space begin to
dwindle.

In the graph below, the carrying capacity is the portion of the graph in which
the population plateaus. This is where the rate at which the replenished resources of
an ecosystem is equal to the number of organisms being born. If the population
exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment, it is called an overshoot. One
reason is when the reproductive lag time or the time it takes for the birth rate to
decrease and the death rate to increase in response to limited resources takes
place. When this happens, a population can collapse since there are limited
resources and space. When the population of the organisms is below the carrying
capacity, the available resources can sustain the needs of the population.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logistic_Carrying_Capacity.svg

The interplay of biotic potential and density-dependent environmental

resistance keeps a population in balance.

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 WHAT I HAVE LEARNED
Written Task- DENSITY-DEPENDENT OR DENSITY-INDEPENDENT?
Categorize the factors into density-dependent and density-independent factors.
Using your own judgment, suggest what environmental resistance is represented in
each photo. Answer in one sentence. (2 points per item)

1 2

https://www.needpix.com/photo/758137/predator-snow- https://pixabay.com/photos/coronavirus-mask-infection-
leopard-irbis-big-cat-food-eat-stains-animal-portrait- virus-4957673/
panthera-uncia

3 4

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bush_fire_at_Ca https://pixabay.com/photos/forest-grubbing-up-wood-
ptain_Creek_central_Queensland_Australia..JPG cases-5088506/

5 6

https://snappygoat.com/free-public-domain-images- https://www.pikist.com/free-photo-xkjqe
beech_tree_sapling_weeds/PmLYcSBHLRbtFT3j1IMI6R7kL8
8|P ag evSHDGLJHEcmqcBHe8.html#,0,0.2c444ba7a55c6f633f9ddb
5b837facd599af9ad9
 Performance Task - How many offspring could you possibly get?
Suppose a theoretical population of bacteria reproduced for five
generations in a culture medium. Starting with an initial pair,
determine what the size of the population would be for each
generation. Assume that all individuals live to reproduce and
reproduce at the same time every 30 minutes.

Time Number of Number of Total number of

individuals individuals added individuals in a
previously in a population
population
start -- 2
30 minutes 2 2 4
60 minutes
90 minutes
120 minutes
150 minutes
Now graph your results below.

https://studylib.net/doc/8218542/biotic-potential-graphing-activity

1. What can you infer from your graph?

2. What do you think are the factors that can limit the population of bacteria inside the
container? Determine whether these factors are dependent or independent?

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 Scoring Rubrics (Performance Task)

Highest Possible Score—10 points possible

Table and graph (5 pts): Are all relevant figures included? Are figures and axes labeled
correctly? Do they contain correct information?

Response to question 1 (2 pts): Does the text adequately describe the results of the study?

Responses to question 2 (3 pts): Did the student contribute correct ideas?

EVALUATION/POST TEST:

A. MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the letter of the best answer.

1. Which of the following statements about biotic potential is TRUE?

a. Biotic potential varies a great deal by species.
b. Biotic potential is only reached when food is limited.
c. The biotic potential of a large mammal is high.
d. The biotic potential of insects tends to be low.

2. Which of the following is a density-dependent factor?

a. fire b. typhoons c. flashfloods d. predation
3. The image below is a population graph from the predator-prey game. Green
indicates grass, blue indicates rabbits, and red indicates wolves. The rapid growth
in grass shown at the right of the graph is probably due to:

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 https://www.sciencegeek.net/Biology/review/U7Review.htm

a. rabbits becoming extinct

b. rabbits going on diets
c. wolves becoming extinct
d. wolves controlling the rabbit population

4. Which of the following organisms will have the highest biotic potential assuming
that they are all found in the same environment?
a. hyenas
b. moths
c. lions
d. elephants

5. If a population for a certain organism is above the carrying capacity of an

ecosystem, which of the following is a plausible outcome?
a. the population will continue to grow because they will start migrating to other
ecosystems.
b. the population will decline, as there is a limited number of resources in the
ecosystem.
c. the population will decline because there will be an increase in predators.
d. the population will continue to grow until biotic potential is reached

6. It refers to the maximum capacity of an ecosystem to sustain a population of

organisms without deteriorating.
a. biological capacity
b. biotic potential
c. environmental potential
d. carrying capacity

B. Enumeration

List three density-dependent factors that limit the biotic potential of an organism

1. __________________________

2. __________________________

3. __________________________

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