Which statement is true of a population overshoot in the context of factors limiting population growth?

• A. It occurs only in populations experiencing unlimited resources and results in no negative effects on survival or reproduction.
• B. It occurs when a population temporarily exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment, often followed by a decline in population size.
• C. It occurs when a population reaches carrying capacity and then remains stable at that level indefinitely.
• D. It occurs when density-dependent limiting factors are absent, causing the population to remain above carrying capacity without a subsequent decline.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of carrying capacity, which is the maximum population size that an environment can sustainably support given the available resources and limiting factors.
2. Recognize that a population overshoot happens when the population size temporarily exceeds this carrying capacity, meaning the number of individuals is greater than what the environment can support long-term.
3. Know that during an overshoot, resources become depleted faster than they can be replenished, leading to increased competition, stress, and often a decline in survival and reproduction rates.
4. Realize that this decline after an overshoot is typically due to density-dependent factors, such as limited food, space, or increased disease, which reduce the population size back toward or below the carrying capacity.
5. Conclude that the true statement about population overshoot is that it involves a temporary exceedance of carrying capacity followed by a population decline, rather than stable or unlimited growth without negative effects.