Question

In nature, populations will reduce reproductive rate in order to maintain the population size at carrying capacity. True False

Answer 1

Answer) TRUE

The above statement is true because the nature will always have a carrying capacity. The carrying capacity of the environment is the maximum number of species it can carry by providing adequate resources like food,shelter etc. If the population gets plenty of resources in an environment, they will reproduce faster and it will increase the number of offspring. This is known as the exponential growth. But the environment cannot sustain a big population greater than it's carrying capacity. So the nature itself will reduce the number of species in different ways. If the amount of food is less then many species cannot exist, and also presence of predators,competitors and abiotic factors also will reduce the population growth.

Reproductive rate reduction is also a method to limit the population growth. There should be the presence of females in the reproductive age to reproduce. So the nature will reduce the number of reproducible females in different ways. If the resources are less many organism cannot survive, it will be the survival of fittest. So therefore many females will lost their life and also if food content and nutrition is less many are not able to to reproduce(eg: snails need calcium content to reproduce) and they will not be able to produce healthy offspring. Therefore reducing the reproductive rate will help the nature to maintain it's carrying capacity. Predation, competition for available resources,infections, natural disasters will also help to reduce population growth. There will be no increase or decrease in the carrying capacity, it will be in equilibrium.

carrying capacity Population size population growth (availibity of resources) Time