carrying capacity

Examples of carrying capacity in the following topics:

• Logistic Population Growth

  • The formula we use to calculate logistic growth adds the carrying capacity as a moderating force in the growth rate.
  • Thus, population growth is greatly slowed in large populations by the carrying capacity K.
  • In addition, the accumulation of waste products can reduce an environment's carrying capacity.
  • In both examples, the population size exceeds the carrying capacity for short periods of time and then falls below the carrying capacity afterwards.
  • This fluctuation in population size continues to occur as the population oscillates around its carrying capacity.

• Transport of Oxygen in the Blood

  • Most oxygen, 98.5 percent, is bound to a protein called hemoglobin and carried to the tissues.
  • The oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin determines how much oxygen is carried in the blood.
  • In addition, other environmental factors and diseases can also affect oxygen-carrying capacity and delivery; the same is true for carbon dioxide levels, blood pH, and body temperature.
  • Diseases such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia decrease the blood's ability to deliver oxygen to tissues and its oxygen-carrying capacity.
  • Therefore, the oxygen-carrying capacity is diminished.

• Theories of Life History

  • The first variable is K (the carrying capacity of a population; density dependent), and the second variable is r (the intrinsic rate of natural increase in population size, density independent).
  • Populations of K-selected species tend to exist close to their carrying capacity (hence the term K-selected) where intraspecific competition is high.

• Overcoming Density-Dependent Regulation

  • Humans are uniquely able to consciously alter their environment to increase its carrying capacity.
  • Human intelligence, society, and communication have enabled this capacity.

• Red Blood Cells

  • Each hemoglobin molecule binds four oxygen molecules so that each red blood cell carries one billion molecules of oxygen.
  • Despite the name, hemerythrin does not contain a heme group; its oxygen-carrying capacity is poor compared to hemoglobin.
  • Unlike hemoglobin, hemolymph is not carried in blood cells, but floats free in the hemolymph.
  • (c) In annelids, such as the earthworm and some other invertebrates, hemerythrin carries oxygen.
  • Like hemoglobin, hemerythrin is carried in blood cells and has iron associated with it, but despite its name, hemerythrin does not contain heme.

• Exponential Population Growth

  • It levels off when the carrying capacity of the environment is reached, resulting in an S-shaped curve.

• Water’s High Heat Capacity

  • The high heat capacity of water has many uses.
  • The water then remains hot for a long time due to its high heat capacity.
  • Water's high heat capacity is a property caused by hydrogen bonding among water molecules.
  • Water has the highest specific heat capacity of any liquid.
  • In fact, the specific heat capacity of water is about five times more than that of sand.

• Lung Volumes and Capacities

  • Different animals exhibit different lung capacities based on their activities.
  • At maximal capacity, an average lung can hold almost six liters of air; however, lungs do not usually operate at maximal capacity.
  • Air in the lungs is measured in terms of lung volumes and lung capacities .
  • The lung capacities are measurements of two or more volumes.
  • The total lung capacity of the adult male is six liters.

• Early Homo

  • The most salient physiological development between the earlier hominin species and Homo is the increase in cranial capacity, although body size also increased in Homo erectus.
  • This increase in cranial capacity ranged from about 450 cm3 (27 cubic inches) to 600 cm3 (37 cubic inches).
  • With the arrival of Homo erectus in the fossil record, cranial capacity doubled to 850 cm3.

• Visual Processing

  • Within the nerves, different axons carry different parts of the visual signal.
  • Some axons constitute the magnocellular (big cell) pathway, which carries information about form, movement, depth, and differences in brightness.
  • Other axons constitute the parvocellular (small cell) pathway, which carries information on color and fine detail.
  • One stream that projects to the parietal lobe, in the side of the brain, carries magnocellular ("where") information.
  • A second stream projects to the temporal lobe and carries both magnocellular ("where") and parvocellular ("what") information.