The key difference between biotic potential and carrying capacity is that biotic potential is the ability of a particular species to propagate under ideal environmental conditions. Meanwhile, carrying capacity is the maximum population of a given species that can be sustained by a certain ecosystem without being degraded.
There are different populations in an ecosystem. Birth and immigration increase the population. But, death and emigration reduce the population. A particular ecosystem can tolerate or sustain different species. However, limitations in resources, climatic changes, and other biotic factors can limit the number of individuals of a particular species in an ecosystem. Carrying capacity is the maximum population of a given species which can be sustained by an ecosystem without being degraded. In contrast, the biotic potential is the ability of a particular species to reproduce under ideal environmental conditions and resources.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Carrying Capacity
3. What is Biotic Potential
4. Similarities Between Biotic Potential and Carrying Capacity
5. Side by Side Comparison – Biotic Potential vs Carrying Capacity in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Biotic Potential?
Biotic potential is the ability of a population of a particular species to propagate under ideal conditions such as sufficient food supply, no diseases, and no predators. Biotic potential is mainly determined by the rate of reproduction of an organism and the number of offspring produced at one birth. It is expressed as a percentage increase per year.
Biotic potential differs from species to species. There are different biotic and abiotic factors that can limit biotic potential. Predation, competition, parasitism, and diseases are several biotic factors that limit biotic potential. On the other hand, climatic conditions (lack of space, light), fire and temperature are several abiotic factors that limit biotic potential. Environmental resistance can restrict the full expression of the biotic potential of a population by preventing the increment of the individuals of the population.
What is Carrying Capacity?
Carrying capacity refers to the maximum number of individuals of a species an ecosystem can support within the natural resource limit, without being degraded due to the deterioration or damage. In simple words, carrying capacity is the maximum population of a species an ecosystem can sustain without being degraded. Similar to biotic potential, the carrying capacity is also different for each species in a habitat.
When the population exceeds its carrying capacity, it is known as overshoot. When an overshoot occurs, it is responsible for the collapse of the population due to limited resources and space. In contrast, when the population is below the carrying capacity, the environment can favourably sustain the population, fulfilling all the requirements giving food, habitat, water, and other necessities available in the environment.
Figure 01: Carrying Capacity
There are two types of factors affecting the carrying capacity of a species. They are internal factors and external factors. Interspecific competition for space, food, or light, life-history traits, and cannibalism are some internal factors while environmental conditions are the main external factor that affects the carrying capacity.
What are the Similarities Between Biotic Potential and Carrying Capacity?
- Biotic potential affects carrying capacity.
- Both biotic potential and carrying capacity differ from species to species.
- Moreover, both phenomena are important for the sustainability of an ecosystem.
What is the Difference Between Biotic Potential and Carrying Capacity?
The biotic potential is the maximum reproductive capacity of an organism under optimum environmental conditions while carrying capacity is the maximum population of a species the environment can support sustainably. So, this is the key difference between biotic potential and carrying capacity.
Moreover, another difference between biotic potential and carrying capacity is the factors affecting each. Predation, competition, parasitism, diseases, climatic conditions (lack of space, light), fire and temperature, etc., affect the biotic potential. Meanwhile, interspecific competition for space, food, or light, life-history traits, cannibalism, food, water, raw materials, and/or other similar resources are the factors affecting carrying capacity.
Below is a summary of the difference between biotic potential and carrying capacity in tabular form.
Summary – Biotic Potential vs Carrying Capacity
The biotic potential is the rate at which a species reproduces with unlimited resources and environmental conditions. In contrast, carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a population that can be supported by the ecosystem without being degraded. So, this is the key difference between biotic potential and carrying capacity. Biotic potential greatly affects the carrying capacity of a species in an ecosystem.
Reference:
1. “Population Size.” Carrying Capacity, Available here.
2. “What Is Biotic Potential? – Definition & Examples.” Study.com, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Exponential Carrying Capacity” By Nchisick – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia