Biotic potential &

carrying capacity 
BY : VINAY
ROLL NO. 20/09042
COURSE: BSC. HNS (BOTANY)
 Introduction 

• The biotic potential is the utmost reproductive capability of living

organisms under environmental conditions. The biotic potential is the
greatest possible vital index of species, hence, when the species has the
highest birth rate and lowest mortality rate.

• Under ideal environmental conditions, the capacity of a species to

reproduce is known as its biotic potential. Therefore in any way, the
food supply will not be limited and there will be no effect on the
population of the disease and predation.
 DEFINITION

• The biotic potential is defined by the ecologist R.N. Chapman has “ the
inherent ability of an organism to reproduce and survive”.

• Biotic potential was again redefined by the R.N. Chapman in 1993 as: “ it
is kind of numerical sum of the number of young once born at each
reproduction, the number of reproduction over some time, the sex ratio
of the species, and the general capacity to survive under given physical
conditions.
 Biotic factors

• Living components that are present in the ecosystem are

known as the biotic factors as the meaning of the word
‘biotic’ itself is related to a living organism. All living
organisms and the physicochemical components constitute
the ecosystem.
•  The physical and chemical factors such as sunlight,
temperature, and water are referred to as the abiotic factors
while living components which include birds, bacteria, along
with all the other living organisms that are present around us,
are referred to as the biotic factors. 
 Categories of biotic factors

Biotic Components are Typically Divided into Three Main Categories:

• Producers, also known as autotrophs convert energy into food through
the process of photosynthesis 
• Consumers, also known as heterotrophs, depend on food (and often on
other consumers).
• Decomposers (also known as detritivores) is a process of breaking down
chemicals from producers and consumers (generally antibiotics) into
simpler forms that can be reused. 
Carrying capacity
 Definition of Carrying Capacity

• It consists of two words Carrying and Capacity. Carrying

means to support or sustain. Capacity means the ability or
the power to contain or producing the maximum output.
Thus, Carrying Capacity means the ability to sustain up to a
certain limit or scope.
• It assesses the power of the Earth to sustain the maximum
number of species without causing any damage to the
ecosystem. Moreover, it is very important to assess the
carrying capacity for the purpose of achieving 
sustainable development.
 Population growth curves
  J – Shaped Curve

• In the case of J-shaped growth form, the population grows

exponentially, and after attaining the peak value, the population may
abruptly crash. This increase in population is continued till large amount
of food materials exist in the habitat.
• After some time, due to increase in population size, food supply in the
habitat becomes limited which ultimately results in decrease in
population size. For example, many insect populations show explosive
increase in numbers during the rainy season, followed by their
disappearance at the end of the season.
The following equation
exhibits J-shaped growth

dN/dt = rN
Here dN/dt represents rate
of change in population
size, r is biotic potential and
N stands for population size.
  Shaped or Sigmoid Curve

• When a few organisms are introduced in an area, the population

increase is very slow in the beginning, i.e., positive acceleration phase or
lag phase, in the middle phase, the population increase becomes very
rapid, i.e., logarithmic phase, and finally in the last phase the population
increase is slowed down, i.e., negative acceleration phase, until an
equilibrium is attained around which the population size fluctuates
according to variability of environment.
• The level beyond which no major increase can occur is referred to as
saturation level or carrying capacity (K). In the last phase the new
organisms are almost equal to the number of dying individuals and thus
there is no more increase in population size.
The S-shaped sigmoid growth form
is represented by the following
equation:

dN/dt = rN (K – N/K) = rN (1 –
N/K)
where, dN/dt is the rate of change
in population size,
r is biotic potential
N is population size,
K – N/K or 1 – (N/K) is for
environmental resistance.
 References 

• https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=population+growth+graphs+ec
ology&form=HDRSC2&first=1&tsc=ImageHoverTitle
• https://www.biologydiscussion.com/population/population-growth/pop
ulation-growth-curves-ecology/51854
• https://sciencereport.info/march-24-2020-another-look-at-carrying-cap
acity/
• https://www.toppr.com/guides/science/nature/ecosystem/carrying-cap
acity-definition-types-examples/
• https://www.vedantu.com/biology/biotic-potential/