Final answer:
When population exceeds the land's carrying capacity, it can lead to a decrease in resources. Carrying capacity is the max population sustainable with available resources, and humans have increased it through agriculture, resource use, and domestication, but not through the use of language.
Step-by-step explanation:
When population exceeds the carrying capacity of the land, that potentially leads to reduced resources. Carrying capacity refers to the maximum size of a population that can survive using the available resources in an environment. As humans have developed food production methods and engineered high-quality shelters, we have been able to increase the carrying capacity, which enables more people to live than would otherwise be possible.
However, if the population continues to grow beyond the expanded carrying capacity, it could result in a shortage of resources such as water and food, leading to habitat destruction, unsustainable resource use, and excessive use of fossil fuels. This competition for dwindling resources can cause a decrease in available resources, potentially affecting the wellbeing and survival of the population.
Which of the following is not a way that humans have increased the carrying capacity of the environment?
The correct answer is d. use of language, as agriculture, using large amounts of natural resources, and domestication of animals are all methods that have directly contributed to an increase in carrying capacity, while the use of language is not directly related to carrying capacity.