Overshoot occurs when a population exceeds carrying capacity and leads to which major ecological outcome?

Overshoot occurs when a population exceeds carrying capacity and leads to which major ecological outcome?

• A. Overshoot occurs when a population exceeds carrying capacity, leading to resource depletion and short-term impacts.
• B. Overshoot occurs when a population exceeds carrying capacity and leads to die back due to famine, disease, and/or conflict.
• C. Overshoot occurs when a population is below carrying capacity, causing resources to accumulate.
• D. Overshoot occurs when a population stops growing due to limited space.

Answer: (B)

Overshoot happens when a population temporarily grows beyond what the environment can sustain. When resources become scarce because the population has exceeded carrying capacity, the stress on individuals increases, leading to higher mortality and/or reduced reproduction. This often triggers a dieback—a sharp decline caused by famine, disease, and intensified competition or conflict over limited resources. The population then falls back toward sustainable levels, sometimes even undershooting before stabilizing. The other ideas don’t fit because being below carrying capacity means plenty of resources, and stopping growth at the limit doesn’t capture the crash that overshoot typically produces.

Overshoot happens when a population temporarily grows beyond what the environment can sustain. When resources become scarce because the population has exceeded carrying capacity, the stress on individuals increases, leading to higher mortality and/or reduced reproduction. This often triggers a dieback—a sharp decline caused by famine, disease, and intensified competition or conflict over limited resources. The population then falls back toward sustainable levels, sometimes even undershooting before stabilizing. The other ideas don’t fit because being below carrying capacity means plenty of resources, and stopping growth at the limit doesn’t capture the crash that overshoot typically produces.