Answer:
What is the maximum amount of species the ecosystem has supported and how many are supported currently?
Step-by-step explanation:
The carrying capacity of any species in an environment refers to the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat , water , and other necessities available in the environment. It is also defined as the environment's maximal load. Hence, the carrying capacity can summarily be perceived as the number of individuals an environment can support without significant negative impacts to the given organism and its environment. Below carrying capacity, populations typically increase, while above, they typically decrease.
By comparing the maximum amount of species that the ecosystem has supported overtime and the number of species that the ecosystem currently supports, we could have an idea if the ecosystem has exceeded the amount of organisms that it can normally support without negative effects - its carrying capacity