Which of the following growth curves shows a population that is at its carrying capacity?
A. B
B. C
C. A
D. D
A population is said to be at its carrying capacity when it has reached the maximum number of individuals that can be sustained in a particular environment over a prolonged period of time, given the available resources and the prevailing environmental conditions.
In other words, carrying capacity refers to the maximum population size that a given ecosystem can support without being depleted of resources or experiencing environmental degradation. Once a population reaches its carrying capacity, its growth rate slows down and stabilizes, as individuals start to compete more intensely for resources such as food, water, and shelter, and mortality rates increase.
Carrying capacity is an important concept in ecology and population biology because it helps to explain the dynamics of natural populations and how they are influenced by changes in the environment, such as climate change, habitat loss, and human activities.
Therefore, the Correct Answer is A.