Created by Andy and Marya

Earth's Carrying Capacity

The carrying capacity is the largest number of individuals that a
given environment can support

Limiting Factors Of Global

Population
Population
Size

Density-Dependent Factor

Factors That Affect Population

Growth Rates

Density-Independent Factor

Competition

Human
Disturbances

Predation
Parasitism
and disease

Drought and
other climate
extremes

Birth
Rate

Death
Rate

Number of
individuals that
enter or leave a
population

Logistic Growth
Logistic growth occurs when a population growth slows
or stops following a period of exponential growth

Global Carrying Capacity Equation:

(Total solar power received by Earth x % of
solar power that can be used for photosynthesis
Growth whose rate becomes ever more rapid in proportion to x C produced per day in food crops) / Mean C
needed per person per day
the growing total number or size

Exponential Growth

Determining Carrying
Capacity
World Wide Average

(1.2 x 10^14)(% of non-meat .91) + (1.2 x 10^14/12)(%

of meat .09) all divided by total calories 2870

29,272,406,850 people
We adjusted the equation by calculating the daily intake of calories in different countries including the
USA and India. We included the percentage meat took up in the total number of calories because it takes
12 times as many calories to produce meat calories than plant calories. We wanted to compare these
calculation to the world wide average because each countries diet is centered around different foods.

USA

(1.2 x 10^14) (.87) + (1.2 x

10^14/12)(.13) all divided by 3641

India

(1.2 x 10^14)(.998) + (1.2 x

10^14/12) all divided by 2458

If everyone ate like an

American the carrying capacity
for the world would be

If everyone ate like an

Indian the carrying capacity
for the world would be

29, 272, 406, 850 people

48, 763, 222, 130 people