carrying capacity

1. The maximum number of organisms that an area or habitat can support without reducing its ability to support the same number of organisms in the future.


2. The amount of biological matter the system can yield, for consumption by animals or humans, over a given period of time without impairing its ability to continue producing, or the number of animals it can support without being degraded.


3. The maximum population of a given species that can be supported indefinitely, in a particular region, allowing for seasonal and random changes, without any degradation of the natural resource base that would diminish the maximum population in the future.


4. The maximum intensity of use an area will continuously support under a management program without inducing a permanent change in the biotic environment.

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