Carrying Capacity
The maximum population size an environment can sustain indefinitely given available resources. The population level at which births equal deaths.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 7 chapters:
"...ies [OPEN ACCESS] Educational resource explaining r/K selection in accessible terms. Clarifies that r refers to reproductive rate while K refers to carrying capacity. Notes that most species exhibit traits of both strategies rather than pure r or K selection. Biology LibreTexts. "Life Histories and Natural S..."
"...d area but contain outsized biological diversity and evolutionary experimentation. Why? Two factors: size and isolation. Size determines carrying capacity**: Larger islands support more species because they have more resources, more habitat types, and lower extinction rates due to larger populations."
"...xploit specific ecological gaps in competitive landscape. Niches support finite populations. Attempting to grow satellite strategy beyond its natural carrying capacity (15-30% market share) forces either (a) abandoning satellite approach for territorial competition (where incumbents have advantages), or (b) triggeri..."
"...-sea fish have eyes with massive pupils and rod-dense retinas optimized for detecting bioluminescent flashes in near-total darkness. The information-carrying capacity of visual signals depends on the receiver's visual acuity and cognitive processing. A peacock's tail has approximately 200 eyespot patterns (ocelli),..."
"When few species exist (early in radiation), speciation rate is high. As the number of species approaches the environment's carrying capacity (maximum sustainable diversity), speciation rate approaches zero. For those interested in the mathematical formulation: Speciation rate λ decreases ..."
And 2 more chapters...
Biological Context
Carrying capacity (K) depends on food, water, space, and other limiting resources. It's not fixed—it changes with seasons, climate, and technology. Populations near K experience intense competition. Understanding carrying capacity helps predict sustainable populations and resource limits.
Business Application
Markets have carrying capacity too. A niche can only support a certain number of competitors before resources become too scarce for all to survive.