Dynamic Nature of Ecosystems

When a population grows past the ecosystem's carrying capacity, what happens to the population?

• It continues to grow higher and higher.

• The population starts to die off and returns to the carrying capacity.

• The population will go extinct due to lack of resources.

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Something in the environment that keeps a population from steadily increasing is known as

• a limiting factor

• population density

• the carrying capacity

• reproduction

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The reason that organisms cannot produce populations of unlimited size is that

• Populations always stay exactly the same.

• The resources of Earth are limited.

• There is no carrying capacity for the whole Earth.

• Species rarely compete with each other for food.

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In a forest ecosystem, which of the following is NOT an example of a limiting factor that would greatly affect a rabbit population?

• a rainy season

• a disease that causes rabbits to die

• grass available to eat

• the population of hawks that eat rabbits

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The picture to the right represents a sunny, dry desert.

Which factor most likely limits the desert’s carrying

capacity for plant life?

• the number of animals that eat plants

• the amount of sunlight

• the availability of space to grow

• the availability of water

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What is a limiting factor?

• a resource that can limit the size of a population

• a resource that can increase the size of a population

• a living organisms in an environment

• a nonliving factor in an environment

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If there are not enough rabbits in a forest to feed a large population of foxes, then

• space becomes a limiting factor

• there is no problem

• food becomes a limiting factor

• water becomes a limiting factor

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carrying capacity is

• the number of organisms in an environment

• factors that limit population size

• the smallest population an environment can support

• the largest population an environment can support

The largest number of organisms that the environment can support. 

• Carrying Capacity
• Limiting Factor

Environmental factors that keep a population from increasing. 

• Carrying Capacity
• Limiting Factors