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Understanding Carrying Capacity in Ecosystems

Learn about the ecosystem of Easter Island and factors that limit population growth with a focus on carrying capacity. Explore how abiotic and biotic factors affect population dynamics.

tamara-dillon
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Understanding Carrying Capacity in Ecosystems

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  1. Do now • Describe the ecosystem of Easter Island. • What are some factors that limited how many people can live on Easter Island?

  2. Do Now What are three factors that might limit the growth of a population of lions on the savannah?

  3. Carrying capacity • The maximum population size of a particular species that an environment can sustain stably • (how many individuals of a population can live happily in a place)

  4. Example of carrying capacity

  5. Carrying capacity can be expressed as population density Population density = population ÷ area

  6. Population growth is limited by: Abiotic factors – non-living things (water, soil, sun) Biotic factors – living things (plants, animals, bacteria)

  7. Population growth is limited by: • Availability of matter and energy (food if you’re an animal, sunlight and nitrogen in the soil if you’re a plant). Also water. • Size of the environment (do you have enough space) • Presence of competing organisms (other organisms competing with you for matter and energy and space • Presence of predators (eating you)

  8. Turn and talk – what factors limited population growth of humans on Easter Island?

  9. Some factors that limit growth depend on population density, some do not • Density independent factors affect populations no matter how dense they are • Natural disasters • Temperature • Sunlight penetrance in the ocean • Human activities • Density dependent factors only affect populations when they reach a certain density • Competition for resources • Disease and parasites • Crowding • stress

  10. When resources are abundant, populations grow exponentially

  11. When resources become limited, populations grow logistically • Population growth stops at the carrying capacity

  12. Exit slip – no notes! • What are three factors that limit population growth?

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