Carrying capacity
maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely
In ecology, the carrying capacity of an environment is the number of organisms of a particular species that can live there depending on the amount of resources it has. If too many organisms live in an environment, it is called overpopulation.[1]
The carrying capacity of an environment can change, and humans can have an effect on the carrying capacity. For example, agriculture and irrigation allow feeding more people; meaning the human carrying capacity is increased.[2]
Some things that can change an environment's carrying capacity are pollution and the use of natural resources.[3]
References
change- ↑ "Overpopulation". www.tititudorancea.org.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Human Carrying Capacity is Determined by Food Availability" (PDF). Russel Hopfenberg, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department, Duke University, USA.
- ↑ "Carrying Capacity". The Environmental Literacy Council. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2019-02-14.