Final answer:
Climate change affects the carrying capacity for species by altering their habitats. Drought-resistant plants may increase in warmer climates, decreasing the carrying capacity for species that can't tolerate such heat. Conversely, these plants may struggle in colder conditions, where species adapted to the cold could see increased carrying capacity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Climate change can lead to shifts in the carrying capacity for different species due to changes in regional climates, including variations in temperature and rainfall patterns. For instance, plant species that are drought-resistant may thrive in warmer temperatures as they are well-adapted to dry conditions. In contrast, other species that are not adapted to such heat and aridity may decline in number as their preferred climate conditions become less available, decreasing their carrying capacity.
In colder climates, however, drought-resistant plants may not do as well because their adaptations are geared toward hot, dry conditions, not cold environments. This could lead to a decrease in their population's carrying capacity, while other species that are more adapted to cold conditions might find their carrying capacity increasing as they can better exploit the available resources under such climatic changes.
Overall, as the climate continues to change, we can expect substantial shifts in species assemblages. Native and alien species alike will be affected, and new colonization opportunities may arise from the losses of marginal populations at the edges of range boundaries. This is a complex process influenced by a variety of factors, including competition, seed bank dynamics, and the ability to disperse and establish new populations.