Carrying Capacity free essay sample

The carrying capacity is the size of a population that can live indefinitely using the resources available where that population lives 2. For example, consider an island onto which is dropped a colony of rabbits. As long as there is an adequate supply of food and water, the rabbits will not only survive but they will reproduce and the colony will get larger. 3. The rabbit population can continue to grow as long as food and water are adequate. However, if at some point, there are more rabbits that there is food to feed them, then the rabbit population will start to decline pic] [pic] Biotic Potential 4. Biotic potential  is the maximum  reproductive  capacity of a  population   if resources are unlimited. Full expression of the biotic potential of an organism is restricted by environmental resistance , any condition that inhibits the increase in number of the population. 5. It is generally only reached when environmental conditions are very favorable. We will write a custom essay sample on Carrying Capacity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A species reaching its biotic potential would exhibit exponential  population growth and be said to have a high  fertility, that is, how many offspring are produced per mother Environmental Resistance 6. The effect of physical and biological factors in preventing a species from reproducing at its maximum rate. factors  in an  environment  such as predators,   competition,  climate, and  food availability, that keep its various populations  from reaching their maximum  growth  potential [pic] Exponential Growth 7. Rapid Growth of organisms multiplying in each generation 8. If a population has a constant birth rate through time and is never limited by food or disease, it has what is known as exponential growth. With exponential growth the birth rate alone controls how fast (or slow) the population grows.