Carrying capacity concept – UGC NET Question

Carrying capacity links population size with long-term availability of resources and waste-absorbing capacity. It asks how many individuals can be sustained while maintaining ecological balance. Beyond this limit, resource stocks are depleted and environmental quality declines, undermining future support capacity. The focus is therefore on indefinite support, not short-term crowding.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because physical crowding alone does not indicate sustainability; a dense city may still operate within or beyond ecological limits depending on its metabolism.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it combines the idea of a maximum population with the requirement of not degrading underlying resources over time.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since carrying capacity is not about keeping birth rate high; it is about sustainable support.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because a zoo is a managed facility, not the kind of self-regulating ecosystem the concept usually addresses.