Carrying Capacity, Limiting Factors and Ecological Relationships

Front

What is carrying capacity?

Back

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

Front

What are limiting factors?

Back

Conditions that restrict the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population within an ecosystem.

Front

Give an example of a limiting factor in a forest ecosystem.

Back

Grass available for herbivores like rabbits.

Front

What happens when a population exceeds its carrying capacity?

Back

The population may decrease due to resource depletion, leading to starvation or increased mortality.

Front

What is the relationship between predators and prey?

Back

Predators hunt and eat prey, which helps control the prey population.

Front

Define commensalism.

Back

A type of ecological relationship where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Front

What is mutualism?

Back

A symbiotic relationship where both species benefit from the interaction.

Front

What is parasitism?

Back

A relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another.

Front

How can an increase in available food affect an ecosystem?

Back

It can increase the carrying capacity, allowing more individuals to survive.

Front

What is the role of sunlight in an ecosystem?

Back

Sunlight is a primary energy source for photosynthesis, supporting plant growth.