AP Environmental Science / Unit 3: Populations
3.4 Carrying Capacity
Notes
Carrying capacity (K) is the maximum population an environment can support. Populations can overshoot it, causing resource depletion and a die-off.
Practice
A deer population above carrying capacity will likely:
Overshoot then die-off.
Carrying capacity is set by:
Resources limit growth.
Populations that overshoot K can lower future K by:
Overgrazing, for example.
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