Carrying Capacity Basics
What does carrying capacity refer to in an ecosystem?
The maximum population size that an environment can sustain over time.
What is a limiting factor?
Any factor that restricts population growth.
What is exponential growth?
Population growth that occurs when resources are unlimited, producing a J-shaped curve.
What type of graph is commonly used to show population growth?
Line graph showing population size over time.
How does urban development affect carrying capacity for wildlife?
Reduces available habitat and resources, lowering carrying capacity.
What two types of factors determine carrying capacity?
Biotic and abiotic factors.
Name a density-dependent limiting factor.
Predation, disease, competition, or parasitism.
What is logistic growth?
Population growth that slows as it approaches carrying capacity, producing an S-shaped curve.
How do you calculate population growth rate?
(Population change ÷ Time) or (Births – Deaths) ÷ Population size.
How can agriculture affect carrying capacity of other species?
It may increase or decrease resources, introduce pesticides, or cause habitat fragmentation.
Give one example of a biotic factor that can affect carrying capacity.
Food availability, predators, disease, or competition.
Name a density-independent limiting factor.
Weather events, natural disasters, pollution, or habitat destruction.
What happens when a population overshoots carrying capacity?
Population may crash due to resource depletion or increased mortality.
What is the shape of a logistic growth curve?
S-shaped (sigmoidal).
Name one human activity that can artificially increase carrying capacity temporarily.
Providing food or shelter (e.g., feeding birds, livestock farming).
Give one example of an abiotic factor that can affect carrying capacity.
Water, sunlight, temperature, soil nutrients, or shelter.
How do limiting factors prevent populations from exceeding carrying capacity?
They reduce birth rates, increase death rates, or both.
Describe one real-world example of a population reaching its carrying capacity.
Deer in a forest, rabbits on an island, fish in a pond, or insects in a crop field.
If a population grows past carrying capacity, what happens to the graph?
It rises above K, then drops back toward K.
How does pollution affect carrying capacity?
It can reduce resources or increase mortality, lowering carrying capacity.
Why can carrying capacity change over time?
Because environmental conditions, resource availability, and species interactions change.
Explain why both biotic and abiotic factors are needed to understand population limits.
Because populations are affected by interactions with other organisms and by environmental conditions.
How does predator-prey interaction affect carrying capacity?
Predators can regulate prey populations, helping maintain balance in the ecosystem.
How can computational models help ecologists predict carrying capacity?
By simulating interactions among species, resources, and environmental conditions.
Why is understanding human impacts important for managing wildlife populations?
So we can maintain sustainable populations and prevent ecosystem collapse.