AP Environmental Science Flashcards: Carrying Capacity
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is the term for the maximum population size that an ecosystem's resources can sustain?
This is known as the carrying capacity, often abbreviated as (K).
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What is the term for the maximum population size that an ecosystem's resources can sustain?
This is known as the carrying capacity, often abbreviated as (K).
What are three potential consequences for a population when resources become unavailable after an overshoot?
The lack of available resources can lead to famine, disease, and/or conflict within the population.
After a period of rapid growth, an algae population in a pond crashes catastrophically due to nutrient depletion. What is this severe population decline called?
This severe and catastrophic decline is known as a population dieback.
If a deer population grows so large that it consumes all available vegetation, leading to starvation, what is the term for the population having grown beyond its environmental limit?
This phenomenon is called overshoot, as the population has exceeded the ecosystem's carrying capacity (K).
Summarize the sequence of events starting from a population exceeding its carrying capacity.
When a population exceeds its carrying capacity, it causes an overshoot, which leads to resource depletion and results in a severe population dieback.
Define population dieback.
Population dieback is a major ecological effect of overshoot, characterized by a severe to catastrophic decline of the population.
What is the direct cause of population dieback following an overshoot?
Population dieback is caused by the lack of available resources that results from the population exceeding its carrying capacity.
What is population overshoot?
Overshoot occurs when a population exceeds its carrying capacity (K).
Describe the relationship between population overshoot and resource depletion.
Population overshoot directly causes resource depletion because the population size is greater than the environment's resources can support.
What is a primary environmental impact of a population exceeding its carrying capacity?
A primary environmental impact of a population exceeding its carrying capacity is resource depletion.