Carrying Capacity

Carrying Capacity (k):

The maximum number of individuals that an ecosystem can support based on available resources.

Overshoot

When a population temporarily goes above the carrying capacity of its environment

Ex Overshoot

Deer breed in the fall and have many babies in the spring, causing a sudden increase in their population.

Die-off

A sudden drop in population size when a lack of resources causes many individuals to die

Ex Die-off

If there are too many new fawns in the spring, many deer might starve because there's not enough food.

Predator-Prey Relationship

• Hares increase in number when there are fewer lynx (their predators).

• More hares mean more food for lynx, so the lynx population goes up.

• As the lynx population grows, they start to eat more hares, which lowers the hare population.

• With fewer hares, the lynx have less food, causing their numbers to drop.

• When the lynx population is low again, hare numbers can start to increase once more.