Part 4: Carrying Capacity The concept of carrying capacity, introduced above, is a simple one in theory, but very complex in practice

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Part 4: Carrying Capacity The concept of carrying capacity, introduced above, is a simple one in theory, but very complex in practice. In theory, it is the population size that a given area (an island, a continent, the earth) can support sustainably (consistently, without degrading the carrying capacity over time). One way it can be expressed is as a population density, the number of organisms that can be supported per unit area. For example, think about a ranch. How many head of cattle can ,a rancher graze on the land? Too many and they eat and trample the grass to the point where, with time, there is less grass, and not enough food to support the cattle there. The rancher has exceeded the carrying capacity. Significantly, the carrying capacity is not fixed, but changes with time. When times are wet there may be plenty of grass, but a drought will result in less grass reducing the carrying capacity. Once the population approaches the canying capacity, a downward spiral can develop, a fwdback loop. When the cattle reduce the amount of grass by overgrazing, it puts extra pressure on the remaining grass that is need ed by the very hungry survi ving cows, thus further increasing i the vegetation loss, and decreasing the carrying capacity. In this context, thinking about canying - capacity is very practical. . Question 31: To explore this concept of carrying capacity, limits plankton growth, what determines the local carrying capacity for plankton in the " ocean? If you feel you know enough about plankton, then formulate an answer based on your understanding. Otherwise, you may want to cruise the web for information. Include the URLs of any information sources you use at the end of your answer and remember not to copy and paste. The Words should be your own. write a short paragraph on what