Carrying Capacity: Sustainable population size in an environment
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Carrying Capacity:
• Maximum population of a given species that can survive indefinitely in a given environment
Depends on:
• Conditions & resources available in habitat
• Resource consumption by species
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Resources & Conditions Present:
• Sunlight
• Rainfall/Moisture
• Climate
• Soil type
• Space
• Landscape/Terrain
• Food sources
• Predator levelshttp://danieldamianiphoto.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/img_5429.jpg
Carrying Capacity is not constant:
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• Changing conditions (resource availability) and/or
• Changing resource use by species
Limiting Factors:
• Anything that can change a species’ population
• Natural & Human influence
Disease
Parasites
Accidents
Fire
Floods
StormsStarvation
Hunting
Predation
Habitat Loss
Drought
Pollution
Shade
Carrying Capacity for a Species:
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Overshoot: More individuals of a species
living in an area than can be supported over a long time.
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Carrying Capacity Overview:
• Defined as a sustainable population level for a species within an environment
• Influenced by abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) factors
• Connecting resource use & availability with population
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