The molecules in hot air are moving faster than the molecules in cold air. Because of this, the molecules in hot air tend to be further apart on average, giving hot air a lower density. That means, for the same volume of air, hot air has fewer molecules and so it weighs less.
Limiting factors are resources or other factors in the environment that can lower the population growth rate. Competition for resources like food and space cause the growth rate to stop increasing, so the population levels off. This flat upper line on a growth curve is the carrying capacity.