Final answer:
Environmental carrying capacity is limited by factors such as water, energy, nutrients, and light. Carrying capacity is not fixed and can change due to natural events and human activities that either increase or decrease it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The environmental factors that limit environmental carrying capacity in a land ecosystem can include availability of water and energy, among others. Limiting factors are essential in defining the carrying capacity, which is the maximum population size that an ecosystem can sustain without negative impacts. Factors like light, nutrients or minerals, oxygen, and temperature also play critical roles. For instance, nutrients are recycled in ecosystems, and elements like nitrogen can limit plant growth, thereby affecting the entire food chain. Human activities can impact carrying capacity by increasing it through advancements in agriculture or decreasing it with activities that damage ecosystems, such as deforestation or pollution.
Carrying capacity varies and can change due to natural events like earthquakes or fires, or seasonal differences. It is not a fixed value; rather, it fluctuates with environmental conditions and is influenced by interspecific competition and human activity.