Carrying Capacity:

1
Carrying Capacity

• Sustainable population size in an environment

http//www.sustainabilitylabs.org/files/images/Sus
t.20Diagram202.preview.jpg
2
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

3
Resources Conditions Present

• Sunlight
• Rainfall/Moisture
• Climate
• Soil type
• Space
• Landscape/Terrain
• Food sources
• Predator levels

http//images2.layoutsparks.com/1/175362/sunlight-
trees-woods.jpg
http//s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/filepicker2FsFC
TedRrS6eErJ7b0cwY_hot_desert.jpg
http//danieldamianiphoto.files.wordpress.com/2012
/07/img_5429.jpg
4
Carrying Capacity is not constant

• Changing conditions (resource availability)
  and/or
• Changing resource use by species

http//www.activistangler.com/storage/drought.jpg?
__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION1362064244633
http//labsaints.com/wp-content/uploads/water-poll
ution.jpg
5
Limiting Factors

• Anything that can change a species population
• Natural Human influence

Predation
Disease
Accidents
Floods
Drought
Shade
Fire
Parasites
Storms
Hunting
Starvation
Habitat Loss
Pollution
6
Carrying Capacity for a Species
http//culturingscience.files.wordpress.com/2010/1
0/carrying-capacity.jpg
7
Overshoot

• More individuals of a species living in an
  area than can be supported over a long time.

http//www.paulchefurka.ca/Overshoot_2.jpg
8
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

http//nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/planetary/earth/a
pollo17_earth.jpg