The trees of an artificially thinned stand are fewer, larger in diameter, and taller. Those in an unthinned stand are thicker on the ground, smaller in diameter, and shorter in height. If you cut and weighed uniform samples of stands, you would find that the total biomass on both plots was similiar, but mean weight of the plant would be greatest on thinned plots with the lower density. Density Independent Influences Density independent influences are those whose action does not come about because of the population's density, but because of some independent factor. By themselves, density independent influences on the rate of increase do not regulate population growth.
Regulation implies a homeostatic feedback that functions with density.
Density dependent influences can have a considerable on changes in population size, and they can affect birth and death rates. Density independent influences may so affect a population that they completely mask any effects of density dependent regulation.