ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURES

POPULATION

• Group of same species that live in the same place at the same time
• Keeps growing until they experience environmental pressures

COMPETITION

• Struggle for a limited resource
• Might fight for living space, food, water, or mates

PREDATION

• Hunting & consumption of another animal to survive
• Keeps population in check
• Predator - organism that does the hunting
• Prey - organism that is consumed
• Ex: a bobcat chasing a rabbit

DISEASE

• illness which may harm or kill an organism
• ex: flu & Irish potato famine

CATASTROPHIC EVENT

• significant event (natural or otherwise)
• negatively impacts organisms in a large area
• ex: wildfire, huge earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption

CARRYING CAPACITY

• Not an environmental pressure
• Maximum number of individuals an ecosystem can support