What is another way to describe carrying capacity?

• The maximum number of offspring an individual can produce in its lifetime.

• The largest population size that an environment can support sustainably over time.

• The total amount of energy available in an ecosystem at a given moment.

• The average number of individuals that migrate into an ecosystem each year.

Which of the following are NOT limiting factors for a population?

• Availability of food and water

• predation and disease

• natural disasters

• the shape and color of leaves

What happens if a population exceeds its carrying capacity?

• Resources will become limited, leading to increased competition and death rates.

• The population will continue to grow indefinitely.

• The environment will produce more resources to accommodate the larger population.

• The carrying capacity will increase to match the new population size.

What happens when a population approaches its carrying capacity?

• The population growth rate increases

• The growth rate slows as birth rates equal the death rates

• The population crashes, threatening extinction

• New resources are created

When a population reaches carrying capacity, the data on a graph resembles a(n)....

• J-shaped curve

• L-shaped curve

• N-shaped curve

• S-shaped curve

Examples of limiting factors that keep populations from growing out of control include...

Select ALL that apply.

• temperature extremes

• shelter or space

• ocean tides

• wind currents