Carrying Capacity and Limiting Factors

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What is carrying capacity in an ecosystem?

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Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can support sustainably without degrading the habitat.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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What are limiting factors in an ecosystem?

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Limiting factors are environmental conditions that restrict the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or a population of organisms.

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What are abiotic factors?

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Abiotic factors are non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems.

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Can you name three abiotic limiting factors?

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Water, space, and oxygen.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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What are biotic factors?

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Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem that affect the population of organisms, such as competition, predation, and availability of food.

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What is an example of a biotic limiting factor?

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Food availability for organisms.

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How do natural disasters affect ecosystems?

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Natural disasters can destroy resources, disrupt habitats, and decrease the carrying capacity of populations within an ecosystem.

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What happens to the carrying capacity if a natural disaster occurs?

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The carrying capacity of the population of a species within that ecosystem will decrease.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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What can happen if a population exceeds its carrying capacity for a long time?

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If a population exceeds its carrying capacity for a long time, it can deplete available resources completely.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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What is the relationship between carrying capacity and resource availability?

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Carrying capacity is directly related to resource availability; if resources are limited, the carrying capacity will also be limited.

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