Carrying Capacity
Carrying capacity is the maximum amount that an ecosystem can hold without over populating.
Carrying capacity is like filling up a bucket- The water you put into the bucket is like the production of the things you put into the ecosytem. When the bucket is all full, it is like when an ecosystem has met its carrying capacity. When a bucket reaches the top, the rest of the water coming in overflows, like when an ecosystem overpopulates. If you don't want to "over flow" your ecosystem, you must stay under the carrying capacity.
There are many factors that allow an ecosystem to stay under its carrying capacity. Inorder to stay under the carrying capacity, the birth rate and death rate needs to be about the same. Of course, factors like predation, starvation, disease, etc. contribute to the death rate.
Carrying capacity is like filling up a bucket- The water you put into the bucket is like the production of the things you put into the ecosytem. When the bucket is all full, it is like when an ecosystem has met its carrying capacity. When a bucket reaches the top, the rest of the water coming in overflows, like when an ecosystem overpopulates. If you don't want to "over flow" your ecosystem, you must stay under the carrying capacity.
There are many factors that allow an ecosystem to stay under its carrying capacity. Inorder to stay under the carrying capacity, the birth rate and death rate needs to be about the same. Of course, factors like predation, starvation, disease, etc. contribute to the death rate.