Question

Define and explain carrying capacity of environment.

Answer 1

Answer:

The carrying capacity of a biological species in an environment is the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water, and other necessities available in the environment. In population biology, carrying capacity is defined as the environment's maximal load,[1] which is different from the concept of population equilibrium.

Reaching carrying capacity through exponential growth, followed by die off and carrying capacity degradation

Carrying capacity was originally used to determine the number of animals that could graze on a segment of land without destroying it. Later, the idea was expanded to more complex populations, like humans.[2] For the human population, more complex variables such as sanitation and medical care are sometimes considered as part of the necessary establishment. As population density increases, birth rate often increases and death rate typically decreases. The difference between the birth rate and the death rate is the "natural increase". The carrying capacity could support a positive natural increase or could require a negative natural increase. Thus, the carrying capacity is the number of individuals an environment can support without significant negative impacts to the given organism and its environment.

Answer 2

Answer:

The carrying capacity of environment is the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water, and other necessities.

The resources in any given habitat can support only a certain quantity of wildlife. Carrying capacity is the number of animals the habitat can support all year long. The carrying capacity of a certain tract of land can vary from year to year. It can be changed by nature or humans.