Final answer:
Carrying capacity is the maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely without degrading the resources or habitat.
Step-by-step explanation:
Carrying capacity is the maximum size of a population that an environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water, and other necessities available in the environment. It is often represented by the letter K in population ecology models. The concept of carrying capacity is critical in understanding how populations grow and interact with their resources. When a population is below it carrying capacity, it can grow exponentially, but as it reaches the limits of what the environment can support, growth slows, and the population size will fluctuate around this capacity, typically in a logistic or 'S-shaped' curve. In reality, the carrying capacity is not fixed; it can change due to a variety of factors including resource availability, technological advances, and ecological interactions.