Understanding Carrying Capacity Environmental Science

Learning Target  I will predict if population size will increase or decrease based upon limiting factors and carrying capacity.

Carrying Capacity  Key Point #1: An environment can only support as many organisms as there is available food, water, and free space  Carrying capacity = maximum number of organisms that can live somewhere, based on the food, water, and free space.  Every species has a different carrying capacity. Food, water, and free space are the LIMITING FACTORS that determine carrying capacity

Aquaculture  Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants

Carrying Capacity  Key Point #2: We can read a carrying capacity graph to predict changes in population size Time Population size Graph line = Population size at a specific time Dotted line = Carrying Capacity

Carrying Capacity  When a population is BELOW its carrying capacity, it will INCREASE in size  Birth rate exceeds death rates Time Population size

Carrying Capacity  But if it increases too much and rises ABOVE its carrying capacity, it will DECREASE in size  Death rate exceeds birth rate Time Population size

Carrying Capacity  When a population is BELOW its carrying capacity, it will INCREASE in size  Birth rate exceeds death rates Time Population size

Carrying Capacity  This happens over and over… but the increases and decreases get smaller and smaller… Time Population size

Carrying Capacity  Until eventually, the population size BECOMES STABLE AT THE CARRYING CAPACITY  Birth rate = death rate Time Population size

determined by such as above it WORD BANK: water, carrying capacity, pop. size increases, limiting factors, food, pop. size decreases, space below it Carrying Capacity Limiting Factors Space WaterFood Population decreases Population increases

Carrying Capacity  Carrying capacity can also have a broader meaning. It can be defined as the number of living things (plants and animals) any area of land or water can support at any one time.  Different organisms will have different carrying capacities in the same area. Thus, the carrying capacity of an ecosystem affects everything that lives in it.

Closing  An environment can only support as many organisms as there is available food, water, and free space  Carrying capacity = maximum number of organisms that can live somewhere based on these limiting factors  We can read a carrying capacity graph to predict changes in population size  Below carrying capacity = increase  Above carrying capacity = decease  Over time, population stabilizes at carrying capacity