carrying capacity

American  

[kar-ee-ing kuh-pas-i-tee] / ˈkær i ɪŋ kəˌpæs ɪ ti /

noun

Ecology.

1. the maximum, equilibrium number of organisms of a particular species that can be supported indefinitely in a given environment. K

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carrying capacity British  

noun

1. ecology the maximum number of individuals that an area of land can support, usually determined by their food requirements

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carrying capacity Scientific  

/ kăr′ē-ĭng /

1. The maximum population of a particular organism that a given environment can support without detrimental effects.

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carrying capacity Cultural  

1. In ecology, the number of living things that can exist for long periods in a given area without damaging the environment.

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Etymology

Origin of carrying capacity

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

"During the mid-MP, climatic improvements increased the region's carrying capacity, leading to demographic expansion and intensified contact between different Homo taxa."

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026

Their book may be wrong on some issues, but it is hard to dispute that the earth has finite natural resources, limited human carrying capacity and that excessive growth has resulted in environmental destruction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Other entrants include Figure AI’s F.03 robot, introduced in October, which stands about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds, with a carrying capacity of 44 pounds.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

It could also be that turkey populations overshot their carrying capacity in the '80s and '90s and are now declining to a “new normal,” Kaminski said.

From Salon • Nov. 28, 2024

In the 1930s, Sylvanus G. Morley of Harvard, probably the most celebrated Mayanist of his day, espoused what is still the best-known theory: The Maya collapsed because they overshot the carrying capacity of their environment.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann