It is impossible for populations to continue increasing forever. In an ecosystem, no population can exponentially grow forever unless resources are supplied from the outside. A population will grow and it will eventually reach equilibrium where the level will be maintained. Each ecosystem has a particular supply of resources which will only sustain a specific population size.
The most fundamental resources that populations are always competing for include food, water, and space. Organisms will live in a peaceful coexistence in a situation where the resources exist in plenty. Where such resources are in abundant, the ecosystem will enjoy diversity in species.
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The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is described as the population that can be supported with the available resources in that particular ecosystem. The carrying capacity of an ecosystem depends on three important factors that include the amount of resources, population size, and the amount of resources that each individual is utilizing.
In determining whether a population has reached carrying capacity, one can analyze the population growth. Normally, when an ecosystem has attained its carrying capacity, the population is neither shrinking nor growing. The number population will remain constant and therefore there would be no fluctuations. Another factor that can be analyzed in determining the carrying capacity is the impact the consumption of individuals have on the environment. The number of population versus the resources available could also be a significant determinant of carrying capacity. The affluence factor which means the consumption per capita (individual) is also a key determinant of carrying capacity.
The principle of competitive exclusion asserts that two individuals competing for the same resources cannot coexist in a stable manner. One of the two species will have an edge over the other which might result in the extinction of the second species. This might result in the evolutionary shift of the less competitive species towards another ecological niche.
