What characterizes density-independent limiting factors?

Density-independent limiting factors are characterized by their impact on populations regardless of the population size or density. These factors can include environmental conditions such as natural disasters, climate changes, or human activities that can influence the organisms in an ecosystem without being influenced by the population dynamics. For instance, a wildfire might dramatically reduce the number of individuals in a species, but this effect would occur whether the population was large or small.

The other options do not accurately describe density-independent factors. The idea that such factors only impact larger populations is misleading, as these factors can have drastic effects on populations of any size. Promoting growth in smaller populations or enhancing reproductive success is also not applicable to density-independent factors; instead, these factors often hinder population growth by causing sudden declines or fluctuations in population numbers, irrespective of how many individuals are present.