Asked by Marissa Gonçalves on Jun 17, 2024
Verified
What is one reason for a population to overshoot its carrying capacity and crash?
A) due to a gradual increase in available habitat
B) due to a gradual increase in available food resources
C) due to a reproductive time lag involving the birth rate and death rate of the population
D) due to changes in the gene pool of a population
Carrying Capacity
The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water, and other necessities available.
Reproductive Time Lag
The delay between changes in environmental conditions and the resultant effects on a population's reproductive rates.
Birth Rate
The ratio of live births in an area to the population of that area; expressed per 1000 population per year.
- Understand the concept of carrying capacity and factors affecting it.
Verified Answer
RM
Rachel MarquezJun 22, 2024
Final Answer :
C
Explanation :
A reproductive time lag involves a delay in population growth due to a time delay between the birth rate and death rate of a population. This means that even though the population may have already exceeded its carrying capacity, it takes time for the population growth to slow down and reach equilibrium. As a result, the population can overshoot its carrying capacity and crash. Gradual increases in available habitat or food resources may temporarily increase the carrying capacity of a population, but without an equal increase in population regulation, the population can still overshoot and crash. Changes in the gene pool can affect the genetics of a population and potentially reduce its fitness, but this is not directly related to overshooting carrying capacity.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the concept of carrying capacity and factors affecting it.