Carrying Capacity
Define carrying capacity
The maximum population size an environment can support indefinitely
Analyze this scenario: Foxes eat rabbits. A disease kills most of the rabbits in an ecosystem. What would most likely happen to the fox population?
The fox population would decrease
What happens to a population when it exceeds its carrying capacity?
Population decline due to resource limitation
What distinguishes a food web from a food chain?
Food webs show multiple interconnected feeding relationships
Food chains show one linear pathway
What are the limiting factors?
food
water
space
weather
Why are food webs are more stable than food chains?
They provide alternative food sources if one species declines
In a grassland ecosystem, what would most directly affect the carrying capacity of zebras?
A. The number of lions present
B. The amount of available grass
C. The temperature of the environment
D. The number of birds in the area
B. The amount of available grass
In a marine ecosystem, how might overfishing of tuna affect the food web?
A. Only tuna populations would decrease
B. It would only affect species that eat tuna
C. It could cause changes throughout multiple trophic levels
D. It would only impact other fish species
C. It could cause changes throughout multiple trophic levels
How might a prolonged drought affect both carrying capacity and food webs in an ecosystem?
A. It would only affect herbivores
B. It would have no effect on carnivores
C. It would impact multiple species through various pathways
D. It would only affect plant populations
C. It would impact multiple species through various pathways
What is the major difference between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores?
herbivores- eat only plants
carnivores- eat only animals
omnivores- eats both