Explanation

Carrying capacity is the largest population size that an environment can support forever. Every habitat has limited food, water, and space. When a population reaches carrying capacity, births and deaths balance out to keep the number stable.

If a population grows beyond carrying capacity, there will not be enough resources for everyone. Some individuals will starve or fail to reproduce. The population will then decrease back to a sustainable level.

Ecological niche describes the role a species plays in its environment, not population limits. Limiting factors are things like food or space that control population growth. Density-dependent factors are influences that change as population size changes.