Carrying Capacity

Front

What is carrying capacity?

Back

The maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can support sustainably over time.

Front

What factors can affect carrying capacity?

Back

Factors include availability of food, water, shelter, space, and the presence of predators or diseases.

Front

How does habitat availability influence carrying capacity?

Back

Increased habitat availability typically leads to an increase in carrying capacity as more resources become accessible.

Front

What is a limiting factor in an ecosystem?

Back

A limiting factor is a resource or condition that limits the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population within an ecosystem.

Front

Give an example of a density-dependent limiting factor.

Back

The presence of natural predators is a density-dependent limiting factor that can control population size.

Front

Give an example of a density-independent limiting factor.

Back

Natural disasters, such as floods or wildfires, are density-independent limiting factors that can affect populations regardless of their density.

Front

What happens to a population when it exceeds its carrying capacity?

Back

When a population exceeds its carrying capacity, resources become scarce, leading to increased competition, starvation, and a decline in population size.

Front

What is the significance of the leveling off of a population?

Back

The leveling off indicates that the population has reached its carrying capacity, where birth rates equal death rates.

Front

How can the introduction of a new species affect carrying capacity?

Back

Introducing a new species can alter the carrying capacity by changing resource availability or introducing new competition or predation.

Front

What role do predators play in regulating population size?

Back

Predators help control prey populations, preventing them from exceeding the carrying capacity of their environment.