The size and density of a population are affected by various factors.

Some of the important ones are:

a) Birth rate or Natality rate

Natality rate is the rate at which new individuals are added to a particular population by reproduction (birth of young ones or
hatching of eggs or germination of seeds/spores).

It is generally expressed as number of births per 1,000 individuals of a population per year.

'Absolute', 'physiological or maximum natality', refers to the theoretical maximum production of new individuals under ideal
conditions. But it is never realised because of environmental resistance (factors like inter and intra specific competitions, availability
of food, space etc.)

'Actual birth rate' being achieved under existing conditions, which is much lesser than 'absolute natality is called realized natality.
Higher realized natality rate increases the population size and population density.

Differences between Natality rate and Mortality rate

a) Death or Mortality rate

Mortality rate is the rate at which the individuals die or get killed. It is the opposite of natality rate.

Mortality rate is generally expressed as number of deaths per 1,000 individuals of a population per year.

Lowest death rate for a given species in most favourable conditions is called potential mortality while the actual death rate being
observed in existing conditions is called realized mortality.

Realized mortality decreases the population size and population density.

The percentage ratio of natality over mortality expressed in percentage is called Vital index.

Vital index determines the normal rate of growth of a population.

c) Age distribution (Age composition)

The relative abundance of the organisms of various age groups in the population is called age distribution of population.

With regard to age distribution, there are three kinds of populations.

i) Rapidly growing population is a population, which has high birth rate and low death rate, so there are more number of young
individuals in the population.

ii) Stationary population is a population, which has equal birth and death rates, so population shows zero population growth.

iii) Declining population is a population, which has higher death rate than birth rate, so the population has more numbers of older
individuals.
Age Structure of Hypothetical Populations which are expected to increase, remain stable or decline with the passage of time

d) Immigration
Immigration is the permanent entry of new individuals of same species into a population from outside. It increases the size of local
population.

e) Emmigration
Emmigration is the permanent movement/departure of individuals of same species out of the local population due to several
reasons such as lack of food, scarcity of space (over crowding), etc.

Emmigration decreases the size of local population, but the species spread to new areas.

If more individuals are added than lost, then the population will show positive growth. If more individuals are lost than added, then
the population will show negative growth. But if the two rates are equal, then the population will become stationary and is called zero
growth.

\Population growth = (Birth + Immigration) (Death + Emmigration)

f) Carrying capacity (Resources)

Population density of an area is largely determined by available resources like food, water and space in the region.

Definition
The maximum number of individuals of a population, which can be provided with necessary resources for healthy living, is called
carrying capacity of the habitat.

Size of a population increases till it reaches the carrying capacity of the habitat. When the resources become short of requirement,
the population size begins to decrease through different determinants like natality, mortality etc.

g) Natural calamities
A drastic change in the environment destabilizes or even exterminates a population. Natural calamities such as earthquake, volcanic
eruptions etc. cause drastic changes in the environment leading to the destruction of the resources.

h) Abiotic and biotic factors

Abiotic factors like temperature, wind, humidity, rainfall, intensity of light has its effect on the density of population.

Biotic factors like organisms of other species living in the same area affect the population, as they involve in different types of food
relationships.

For e.g., if the population happens to increase in size, it is brought down by an increase in its predators number or decrease in the
amount of available food.

Different populations have different ability to tolerate changes in weather, physico-chemical and biotic factors. This is called
resilence.

In nature, factors like predators, diseases, food scarcity etc. prevent a population to sour towards infinity. The sum of all these
factors, which prevent a population from growing at its maximum rate, is called environmental resistance or population regulation

i) Population fluctuations and cycles

Populations are not stable and always exhibit up and down variations in response to changes in environmental or intrinsic factors.
The irregular variations in size of populations are called fluctuations or it is also called as population cycle.