If resources decrease, what happens to populations?

If resources decrease, what happens to populations?

• A. populations stay the same
• B. extinctions occur
• C. populations decrease
• D. populations increase

Answer: (C)

Scarcity of resources limits how many individuals can live in an area. When food, water, shelter, and other necessities are reduced, fewer organisms can survive and fewer can reproduce. This increased pressure and competition raise mortality and lower reproduction, so the population size declines. Over time, the population may settle at a lower level that the environment can continuously support under those conditions, known as a new carrying capacity. Extinction is a possible outcome if scarcity persists and the population can’t adapt or migrate, but the typical response to a drop in resources is a decrease in population size.

Scarcity of resources limits how many individuals can live in an area. When food, water, shelter, and other necessities are reduced, fewer organisms can survive and fewer can reproduce. This increased pressure and competition raise mortality and lower reproduction, so the population size declines. Over time, the population may settle at a lower level that the environment can continuously support under those conditions, known as a new carrying capacity. Extinction is a possible outcome if scarcity persists and the population can’t adapt or migrate, but the typical response to a drop in resources is a decrease in population size.