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Carrying Capacity and the Factors That Determine It

Carrying Capacity and the Factors That Determine It. Carrying Capacity. The maximum number of organisms an ecosystem can handle. Before the agricultural revolution the carrying capacity for humans was around 1 billion. What happened?

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Carrying Capacity and the Factors That Determine It

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  1. Carrying Capacity and the Factors That Determine It

  2. Carrying Capacity • The maximum number of organisms an ecosystem can handle. • Before the agricultural revolution the carrying capacity for humans was around 1 billion. What happened? • Factors that influence carrying capacity are called limiting factors and can be density dependent or density independent

  3. A typical Carrying Capacity Graph • There are fluctuations because of inconsistencies in birth/death rate, among other factors.

  4. Density Dependent Factors • Density refers to how many animals occupy a certain amount of space, for instance there are about 30 students per classroom or 3 fish per gallon of pond water. • Density dependent factors include: • Competition (for what?) • Predation • Parasitism and disease

  5. Density Independent Factors • The number of organisms doesn’t matter (it is INDEPENDENT OF DENSITY) • Affects most organisms equally • Seasonal Cycles • Natural disasters • Human activities

  6. Literal definition:the act of living together What is symbiosis? What it means: Two organisms that live together Temporarily or for a longer time At least one of the organisms benefits from the relationship

  7. What are the different kinds of symbiosis? Mutualism Commensalism both organisms benefit one organism benefits one organism benefits Parasitism one organism is unaffected one organism is harmed

  8. Example 1:Acacia plant with ant galls Ants lay eggs on acacia treeAcacia covers the infected area with brown flesh (gall) Parasitism: one benefits, one is harmed

  9. Example 2:Moray Eel with Cleaner Fish Mutualism: both benefit Moray Eel gets a clean mouth Cleaner Fish gets a meal

  10. Example 3:Cattle with cattle egrets Cattle stir up insects as they eat grassEgrets hang around and eat insects Commensalism: one benefits, one is unaffected

  11. Example 4:Clown fish with anemone Clown fish gets protection Anemone is unaffected Commensalism: one benefits, one is unaffected

  12. Example 5:Antelope with Oxbird Antelope gets rid of parasites Oxbird gets a meal Mutualism: both benefit

  13. Example 6:Taenia worm in human eye Worm infects human blood streamHuman may go blind Parasitism: one benefits, one is harmed

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