Question

question id: 9135
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which of these events that involve carrying capacity will cause a species to become extinct?
a. populations of the species increase beyond the carrying capacity of their environments.
b. limiting factors change significantly enough to drastically increase the carrying capacity.
c. limiting factors change significantly enough to reduce carrying capacity to near zero.
d. all of the species in an ecosystem reach carrying capacities at the same time.

Explanation:

Carrying capacity is the maximum population size an environment can support. When limiting factors change to reduce carrying capacity to near zero, a species has no resources or space to survive and will likely go extinct. Option A may cause population decline but not necessarily extinction. Option B increases the carrying capacity which is beneficial for the species. Option D about multiple - species reaching carrying capacity simultaneously doesn't directly lead to a single species' extinction.

Answer:

C. Limiting factors change significantly enough to reduce carrying capacity to near zero.