Afew hundred red deer were introduced, in 1998, into a prairie ecosystem where they faced no natural predators. the graph shows the subsequent variation of the deer population in a certain area of the prairie. explain, using the concept of carrying capacity, the observed variation of the deer population over time.

The carrying capacity is the maximum size of some population. It represents the number of animals that can live, reproduce, survive in the given area regarding the indefinite sustainability of this area in terms of resources (food, water, habitat, etc.). When animals are introduced into some area, the resources are abundant. But, as the number of animals in the population grows, the resources reduces. Once the population reaches the carrying capacity the growth of population will stop (on the graph in the year 2002). With reduced resources, the competition for resources will increase, and also, animals are more prone to predators and diseases. All of this will decrease population size for a bit (on the graph year 2003).