Once the carrying capacity of a population is met, the growth rate typically stabilizes or declines. This is because resources such as food, water, and space become limited, leading to increased competition and decreased reproductive success. As a result, the population may experience a balance between births and deaths, maintaining a relatively stable size or potentially declining if conditions worsen.
moelst
The population would decrease. APEX ...
Ideally a population at its carrying capacity is stable, there is enough for all to survive. The system is usually slightly underdamped and the population will vary between just over its carrying capacity where some individuals suffer and under its capacity where there is a surplus. If the system is severely under damped there are extreme swings in the population. A typical example is the relation between Arctic hares and foxes.
If the carrying capacity suddenly decreased, you could probably expect the amount of organisms within the ecosystem to decrease as well. (There is a decreased amount of room/resources for the organisms, causing the quantity of organisms to decrease as well.) hope that helps :)
A j-curve in a population signifies that there is an initial period of slow growth followed by rapid exponential growth. This typically occurs when resources are abundant and environmental conditions are favorable, allowing the population to exceed its carrying capacity temporarily. However, such rapid growth can lead to resource depletion, increased competition, and potential population crashes if the environment cannot support the sudden surge. Consequently, while the initial growth appears promising, it can lead to instability and long-term challenges for the population.
If a pollutant is introduced into the environment, the growth curve of a population may show a decline or a plateau, depending on the pollutant's impact on the organisms. Initially, there could be a lag phase as the population adjusts, followed by a decrease in growth rate due to increased mortality or reduced reproductive success. Over time, the carrying capacity of the environment may be lowered, leading to a sustained period of lower population density and potentially altering the overall ecosystem dynamics.
population growth begins to slow down
because it did happen
If a population grows larger than the carrying capacity, there will likely be increased competition for resources such as food, water, and space. This can lead to food scarcity, increased stress, and potentially higher mortality rates within the population. Over time, the population size may decrease as individuals struggle to survive in the limited environment.
Thomas Malthus believed that if the human population continued to grow unchecked, it would eventually outstrip food production and resources. He argued that this imbalance would lead to widespread famine, disease, and social strife, ultimately resulting in a natural "check" on population growth. Malthus posited that without preventative measures, such as moral restraint or population control, society would face dire consequences as it reached its carrying capacity.
Generally, if the population of a species is larger than the area can support, animals migrate to other locations, die of starvation, disease etc. until the population decreases to a sustainable level. Unfortunately, if the over population problem depletes the environment enough the sustainable level drop from what it was before the over population problem occurred.
If a breeding pair of finches was placed on an island under ideal conditions with no predators and unlimited food, the population would most likely grow rapidly due to high survival rates. Eventually, the population would reach carrying capacity, where resources become limited and competition for food and nesting sites increases. This could lead to a decline in population or a stabilization at the island's carrying capacity.