AP Environmental Science Flashcards: Population Growth and Resource Availability
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 11 cards to help you master important concepts.
What are the key environmental factors that limit population growth?
Population growth is limited by environmental factors, with available resources and space being the most prominent.
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What are the key environmental factors that limit population growth?
Population growth is limited by environmental factors, with available resources and space being the most prominent.
What is the consequence of unequal distribution of resources when the resource base shrinks?
The increased potential for unequal distribution of resources will ultimately result in increased mortality or decreased fecundity.
Why is indefinite population growth impossible in any environment?
Indefinite growth is impossible because resource availability and the total resource base are limited and finite.
What are the ultimate results for a population when its resource base shrinks?
A shrinking resource base results in increased mortality and/or decreased fecundity, causing population growth to decline to, or below, carrying capacity.
A prolonged drought severely reduces the vegetation in a region inhabited by deer. How will this likely impact the deer population's growth?
The deer population's growth will decline due to increased mortality and decreased fecundity resulting from the shrunken resource base.
According to the provided text, what is the primary relationship between resource availability and population growth?
Population growth is limited by environmental factors, especially by the availability of resources and space.
What two specific demographic rates are affected by a shrinking resource base?
A shrinking resource base leads to increased mortality (death rate) and/or decreased fecundity (birth rate).
How is the total resource base characterized over time?
The total resource base is limited and finite over all scales of time.
If a new species of fish is introduced to a lake with ample food and space, what is the expected initial change in its population growth?
The fish population's growth is expected to accelerate due to the abundance of available resources.
What happens to population growth when it reaches or exceeds the level of its available resources?
Population growth declines to, or falls below, the carrying capacity of the environment.
What happens to a population's growth rate when its necessary resources are abundant?
When the resources needed by a population for growth are abundant, its population growth rate usually accelerates.