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Have you heard about carrying capacity?
This is the balance between wildlife and the resources they need from their habitat. An ecosystem only has so much water, food, mates, and territory to provide to a species.1
When there are too many individuals of a specific species – meaning the species is overpopulated – they go over the carrying capacity. This means there’s more competition for resources like water, food, mates, etc. When this happens, the population will usually decline. However, if they’re under the carrying capacity limit, and there’s no competition for these resources, they’ll usually increase in number.2
Carrying capacity can change depending on circumstances in the environment – such as water and food supply, availability of habitat, and extreme weather changes. When a species meets carrying capacity, they reach a balance in which birth rates and death rates are equal.2
Carrying capacity is important to pay attention to when it comes to conserving species in the wild. It’s important to know how much habitat and other resources a species needs to survive and increase its population. Otherwise, efforts may not work.3
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