Question

Which of the following is described as the number of individuals in a population that the environment can just maintain with no net increase or decrease from generation to generation?

• A. The logistic growth curve
• B. The carrying capacity
• C. The dispersion pattern
• D. The habitat cap
• E. The exponential growth curve

Answer 1

The correct option is B The carrying capacity

The logistic growth curve (J-shaped curve) shows population growth when resources are limited while the exponential growth curve (S-shaped) show the population growth when resources are present in unlimited quantity. Carrying capacity is the maximum size of the population of a species that a certain environment can support for an extended period of time. Once population overshoots the carrying capacity, it starts decreasing as at this point, the different environmental resistances start operating and population dies because of the struggle for existence. Dispersion pattern is the species specific feature and shows the spatial relationship between population members present in a specific area. Thus, the correct answer is option B.