Keystone Species
Foxes - the climate of deciduous forest is an ideal habitat for foxes with many places to hide so they wont get eaten
Density Dependant Limiting Factors
Density-dependent factors include disease, competition, and predation. Density-dependant factors can have either a positive or a negative correlation to population size. With a positive relationship, these limiting factors increase with the size of the population and limit growth as population size increases. With a negative relationship, population growth is limited at low densities and becomes less limited as it grows
Density Independant Limiting Factors
Factors that decrease population growth can be defined as environmental stress including limitations in food, predation, and other density-dependant factors (Sibley & Hone 2002). However, many sources of environmental stress affect population growth, irrespective of the density of the population. Density-independent factors, such as environmental stressors and catastrophe, are not influenced by population density change. While the previously mentioned density-dependant factors are often biotic, density-independent factors are often abiotic. These density-independent factors include food or nutrient limitation, pollutants in the environment, and climate extremes, including seasonal cycles such as monsoons. In addition, catastrophic factors can also impact population growth, such as fires and hurricanes