Introduction

An ecosystem can be as small as a drop of water or as large as the entire Earth. The productivity of an ecosystem limits its carrying capacity, that is, the mass of living organisms that the ecosystem can support.

The carrying capacity of the Earth usually refers to its ability to support human life because it is the human population that is currently undergoing explosive exponential growth. But the carrying capacity can be applied to any life form and to any part of the biosphere, such as what you will be working with in this lesson, the number of deer that can be supported by an oak forest.

Lesson Objectives

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...

  • Develop an understanding of the concept of carrying capacity in relation to a particular ecosystem.

Enduring Understanding:

  • A sustainable supply of resources - including nutrients, energy, and living space - defines the carrying capacity for a particular population in a particular environmental system. Natural disasters as well as human interference can affect this balance, creating a distortion of population-maintenance from one ecosystem to the next.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Environmental Science Objective: 1B1.

This lesson incorporates the following Literacy Standard: R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R10, W1, W2, W3, W4, W8, W9, and W10

 

 

 

    Next Page